Pushing the Limits
by DragonSlayer400
Summary: We watched as Natsu pushed himself passed the limits everyone thought he had. How he continually pulled power from "tomorrow's magic" but there has to be a negative to constantly pushing yourself like that. For Natsu it may be the most painful thing he's ever experienced.
1. Chapter 1

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, but I was unhappy with how it ended so I started writing this. Then The Hundred Year Quest came out and I got distracted. But here's my first multi-chapter fanfic. (Or what was supposed to be the first)

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

 **Spells**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

Team Natsu returned from the hundred year quest. It was pretty easy and they found out that Acnologia was the reason it had never been completed. The trail that had to be taken went right passed Acnologia's 'nest' and so anyone that came close was killed. Now that Acnologia is gone, the mission was a simple delivery mission that only took them 1 month. After which Natsu went and did a little training for about a week as he felt the need to release some of his pent up energy.

Natsu was walking back to the guild with his hands behind his head. ' _That job wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. Maybe we should try to take on some S-class quests so we can get stronger. I wonder if the rest of the guys would go with that_.'

"Natsu what's with the scary face?" Happy asked with his paws in front of his mouth laughing at his adoptive father.

"Oi! I'm just thinking about how that mission wasn't all that fun."

"Oh, yeah I thought it would be more difficult with it being a hundred year quest and all."

"Right? I didn't even get to use my full power on those small groups of bandits we came across on our way," Natsu said as he punched his right hand into his left. "You think the rest of the team would be willing to take an S-class quest?"

"Well they said they want to stay home for awhile so maybe we should wait a couple days?"

Natsu hummed in response. "Won't hurt to ask em though!" he yelled as he raced toward the guild hall with Happy in tow. He slammed the doors open with a "morning everyone!" Some reply and he scanned the guild for his partner, since she's the pickiest about jobs he knew he has to get her on board first.

He saw her sitting at a table talking animatedly to Levy. ' _Probably about some new book_ ' he thought to himself. "Oi Lucy!" He yelled and noticed how she immediately stopped talking and stiffened in response before turning around with a forced smile and a "good morning Natsu."

"Morning Levy," the pinkette said.

"Morning Natsu," Levy says, then gave Lucy a sly look that didn't go unnoticed.

"How's the guild been since we were gone?"

"Quiet," Levy said with a laugh, "but everyone missed you guys. It isn't quite the same without your team here."

Natsu laughed and said, "yeah we all talked about how much we missed the guild while we were gone too. Haven't really been away from it for that long that often."

Lucy and Levy both nod to his words. "Very few members take jobs that last longer than a few weeks so we all know how you feel," Levy said.

"Well I'll leave you two alone, I gotta go check on my team since we may need to go on a job soon," Levy said as she got up and walked away.

"Oh, bye Levy," Natsu said cheerfully.

"We'll talk later okay?" Lucy said giving Levy a look.

"Yeah Lu, see you later." And with that she's on the other side of the guild talking to Jet and Droy.

"So what were you two talking about?"

"Girl stuff" Lucy replied curtly.

"Oookay… well do you think you'd be up for a job in a few days? I didn't really get to let loose on that job like I thought I would've."

Lucy put her chin in her hand, "well let's see what Gray and Erza have to say but I don't see any reason to. That last job paid us well and my book sales have been pretty good for me," she said without looking at Natsu.

"Great! 'S not a no so i'll ask them when they get here!" Natsu cheered.

"Yeah, great. Well Natsu I'm going to order some breakfast want me to order for you?" Lucy said as she got up.

"Mhm! That'd be great Lucy." Lucy looked at him and genuinely smiled, then walks over to the bar to order food for both of them. ' _I wonder why she was being weird_ ,' he thought to himself, ' _plus she and Levy were giving each other some looks I don't understand._ ' He thought about it for a minute then decided it wasn't worth looking into. ' _If it was important she'd tell me,'_ he thought as he sat down.

Natsu then smelt Erza headed towards the guild and got excited as he could ask the team leader, and only S-class mage (much to his chagrin), if they can take a job that would allow him to let loose a little. ' _Probably the first time I've ever been excited Erza's coming to the guild on a day we aren't sparring_ ,' Natsu thought to himself as he began to unconsciously bounce up and down in his seat at the possibility of going on a job.

Erza came into the guid and went straight to the bar to talk to Mira and Lucy. Natsu heard her greet the two and order some strawberry cheesecake. He then heard something that caught his attention. Erza turned to Lucy and asked, "who was that boy I saw you talking to yesterday?"

Lucy looked startled as she replied, "what boy?"

"The brown haired boy you were walking with last night."

' _That's why she didn't want me to hang around yesterday I guess'_ Natsu thought as he slowly stopped bouncing.

Mira gave Lucy a knowing look, "So that's why you've been leaving the guild earlier these last couple of days."

"That's not the reason!" Lucy cried out while sporting a blush. "I've been working on a new novel recently!"

"Oh was that your new publicist?" Erza asked.

"Well...no. I met him in the bookstore the other day and he asked me to accompany him on a walk around the park and-" She was interrupted by a squeal from Mira. "I just knew it wouldn't be long until we had another couple here in Fairy Tail!" Mira exclaimed with her hands clasped in front of her.

"It isn't like that Mira!" Lucy cried out as her whole face was now red.

"Your face says otherwise Luucy" Mira said teasingly.

"Miiiraaa!" Lucy cried while burying her face in her hands.

"I'm only teasing Lucy, here's your food!" Mira said with a smirk on her face.

"Thank you Mira!" Lucy almost yelled as she hurried back to the table Natsu was sitting at.

"Here you go Natsu, steak and eggs with hot sauce," Lucy said as she handed him his two plates of food.

"Thanks Lucy!" Natsu cheered as he then began to shovel his food into his mouth.

"I don't know how you don't choke with how you shovel your food down," Lucy said as she smiled and shook her head at her partner.

"Ehh couldn't tell yah. Been eating like this my whole life" Natsu shrugged as he finished his second plate.

"Good morning Natsu, how did your training go?" Erza asked as she walked over to sit with her team.

"It was alright, but I was wondering if there's any chance of us going on a S-class mission soon since that hundred year quest wasn't all that impressive" He asked as he looked her in the eyes.

"Hmm. Well we did all agree to a little rest after being away from the guild for so long. What do you think Lucy?" She asked as she turned and looked at their other teammate.

"I don't really see the reason as we don't have to worry about rent or money with the reward from the last job" she replied as she looked up from her oatmeal and cup of tea.

"That is true. Well we can see what Wendy and Gray think before we make a decision" Erza stated as she went back to eating her cake.

They sat there and talked a bit before Wendy made her way into the guild. After wishing the rest of the guild a good morning, she went and sat next to Erza at their table. "Good morning everyone" Wendy cheered since Natsu was now back and her team was complete. Well they would be whenever Gray got there. They all replied with a "good morning Wendy and Charle" before Erza turned to her and asked her, " Wendy, Natsu is asking if we can go on a S-class job since he's getting restless."

"Didn't we all agree to some down time before we talked about taking another mission?" Charle asked before Wendy had a chance to reply.

"Well Natsu wasn't really part of that discussion since he went by himself to train before we got to the guild" Lucy said with a slight frown since he technically ditched them without saying anything as they were walking around Magnolia.

"I wouldn't mind going out on another job" Wendy mumbled as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress. Natsu gave her his toothy grin since she was the first one to say yes to his idea.

"Well then we just have to wait for Ice Princess to show up" Natsu cheered as he believed his rival would never pass down the chance to go on an S-class quest.

"Oi! I've been here almost as long as Wendy, Ash-Breath!" Gray yelled as he got up from his bench at their table. Now the two had their foreheads pressed together. "Who would notice you Snow-cone?!"

"You should, Flame-brain!"

"Why? I ain't datin yah!"

"You were waitin' for me Slanty-eyes!"

"I was only waitin' on these three Droopy-eyes!"

"You need every one of the team to make a team decision, pyro!"

"Popsicle breath!"

"Flame breath!"

"Pervert!"

"Moron!"

"What did you say?!" Natsu yelled as he threw a punch at Gray. which he blocked with his left forearm.

"I said you don't have any intelligent thoughts fire face!" Gray yelled back as he threw a punch at Natsu that got blocked. Then the two kept throwing punch and kicks while getting some hits in. They kept beating each other up and eventually bumped into Elfman who yelled, "attacking someone from behind is not a Man!" as he too got into the fight. He punched Gray into Gajeel, who turned around and threw Gray at Natsu, who ducked. Gray went flying into Jet who then also joined the fight. Soon after there was another guild wide brawl going on thanks to Natsu and Gray.

"Shouldn't you put a stop to this Erza?" Lucy asked as bottles and cups began flying around them.

"I guess they have had their fun, so I shall put a stop to this" Erza replied and began to get up only to have some food land on her head and start to make its way down her hair. Everyone froze as a demon aura began to form around Erza.

"Natsu. Gray." Erza said in a barely calm voice.

"Y-Yes E-Erza?" The two boys asked in unison as they grabbed onto each other out of fear.

"What have we talked about regarding fighting in the guild?" Erza asked as she requipped a sword.

"Th-that there sh-shouldn't be any fighting in the g-guild?" Both boys asked with fear in their eyes.

"Exactly. And since you two broke that rule you must be punished." Erza stated as she began to stalk towards them holding a sword in each hand now.

W-wait!" they screamed as they began to run for their lives only to not make it a few feet out of the guild before being caught by the red-headed monster and knocked unconscious.

"The rest of you will clean the guild until it is as clean as it was before we got here this morning" Erza told the remaining members who were still frozen in place. They began to clean the guild at supersonic speeds to try and keep a pissed off Erza from giving them the same treatment she gave the two troublemakers.

"I'll be back to check once I clean this stuff out of my hair" Erza stated as she headed towards the infirmary which has a shower.

When Erza finished her shower, she returned to her team's table and asked what they have decided.

"Gray said as long as its a monster eradication he'll go," Lucy reported since Gray was talking to Juvia at the bar.

"Then I'll go look at the board and find one," Erza stated as she began to head for the stairs.

"YES!" Natsu cheered with Happy while Lucy, Wendy, and Charle smiled and shook their heads at their enthusiasm.

Erza went up and looked at the S-class board. She scanned it looking for an extermination mission and saw a different type. ' _Hmm.. A bandit group is terrorizing a town on this one. And the reward is good for all of us to split with no problem'_ Erza thought as she brought the job poster to her team. As she approached the table Gray took notice and walked towards the team with Juvia.

"This is an mission that is asking for a bandit group to be taken care of" Erza told her team.

"That's perfect! I'm all fired up!" Natsu cheered while everyone else noticed the reward for the job: 800.000 Jewel.

"That's a big reward!" Gray said as he looked the poster over.

"Alright, everyone okay with this mission?" Erza asked as she looked at her team. Natsu and Happy nodded enthusiastically, while Gray, Wendy, Lucy, and Charle all give two nods and said "yeah."

"Let me register this job with Mira and we shall meet at the train station at 8:00 am tomorrow" Erza told her team as she walked away.

"Why can't we leave today? It's not even noon yet!" Natsu whined at his teammates as he dropped his head to the table.

"Because we are already taking a job sooner than we agreed on so we're taking one more day to relax" Lucy reminded him.

"Fine, but this is one more day that we could possibly help those villagers" Natsu grumbled from the table. His team freezes at hearing that.

"Did Flame-brain just say something smart?" Gray asked and Lucy and Erza slowly nodded.

"I'm not that dumb!" Natsu yelled as he shot to his feet.

"Still surprising Natsu" Happy said as he held his paws over his mouth while floating away.

"Oi! Get back here you traitor!" Natsu yelled as he ran after Happy.

"We shall leave in two hours" Erza stated and left no room for argument from their teammates. Hearing this Natsu froze and turned to Happy saying, "Happy! We gotta go pack!" as he started heading out the door.

"Wait for me!" Lucy yelled and got up to hurry after them.

"See you in two hours," Gray said as he started heading out to his apartment.

"Come on Wendy, Erza, we should head to Fairy Hills so we can get ready" Charle states once Mira stamped the job for the group.

"Yes, let's get going" Erza said as the trio made their way out of the guild.

"Goodluck!" Mira called out to them as they left.

* * *

After dropping Lucy off at her home, Natsu and Happy sprinted/flew towards their home because they were so excited to be going on another mission. "Let's go Happy, the faster we get ready the faster we can get to fighting those monsters."

"Aye Sir!" Happy exclaimed happily. They got home and immediately began packing up their stuff. They were finished packing when they realized that their place had been cleaned for them.

"Happy did you clean up when you came back here?" Natsu asked since Happy returned home for a day before rejoining Natsu for training in the woods.

"Nope, wasn't me" Happy replied.

"Hmm.. Maybe it was Lucy, Mira or Lisanna" Happy thought out loud.

"Why do you think it was one of them?" Natsu asked his 'son'.

"Well when I came back they were all in the area and no one else really comes around here if they aren't gonna visit us or go out on a job. Plus we don't really lock our doors" Happy said.

"Makes sense. When we go pick up Lucy we can ask her if she did it for us" Natsu said while heading for the door.

"Think Lucy will give us some fish since we have some time before we have to meet?" Happy asked while drooling.

"HAHA I think she might buddy. We can always bug her until she does if she's done getting ready" Natsu answered with a smirk.

"Yay! Fish!" Happy yelled as they made their way back into town and towards Strawberry Street.

They entered Lucy's apartment through her window and sat on the bed quietly. They noticed that Lucy was still packing so they waited until she was almost done to scare her. Natsu and Happy looked at each other and, with a nod from Natsu, Happy crept up behind Lucy and yelled, "HEY LUCY YOU READY YET?"

Lucy shrieked and jumped as she turned around to see the two boys rolling in laughter. She flushed in embarrassment and then kicked the two into her wall screaming, "DON'T YOU TWO KNOW HOW TO SAY HI LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE?"

"But Lucyyy, we've been waiting forever for you to finish up" Happy whined.

"Yeah Lucy, we thought you'd be done by the time we got here" Natsu said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well I need to pack more stuff than you two do because I care about wearing clean clothes!" Lucy exclaimed while looking at them with narrowed eyes.

"HEY! We do too care about clean clothes. We just don't pack for a job like this and expect to stay there for a week. It's a quick job of beating up a stupid bandit group" Natsu grumbled with a pout that Lucy thought was adorably child-like.

"Well you know things rarely go as expected with our team, so I'd rather be prepared" Lucy shot back while starting to smile at her friends.

"Fine, fine. How much longer until you're ready? Because we only have 45 minutes to get to the station" Natsu told her, which immediately got Lucy panicking.

"I'll be done in a minute, just get ready to leave as soon as I say I'm done" Lucy said as she resumed packing. After another 15 minutes Lucy threw her bag on and turned to her teammates saying, "alright let's head out!"

"Alright!" "Aye Sir!"

They just made small talk for the 10 minute walk to the station from Lucy's place, and saw Wendy and Charle waiting on a bench. They headed over and started talking and laughing at Happy's attempt to woo Charle failing miserably. A few minutes later Gray showed up with Erza right behind him.

"Good, everyone's early. Let's get our tickets and board the train" Erza said as they all made their way to the ticket booth. Natsu bought his, Wendy, Charle, and Happy's tickets, even after Wendy complained that she could buy her own. Natsu waved her off saying that she should save whatever she can so she doesn't have to go crazy over rent like Lucy does. Charle agreed with him, but also didn't like that Natsu bought their tickets. She, however, knew that it was already done so she just backed Natsu up by saying that saving is very important.

"I heard that Natsu!" Lucy said with a tick mark over her eyebrow.

"Uh..uh.. H-hey Lucy. I meant nothing by it! I was just trying to help Wendy by giving her a life lesson!" Natsu said as he cowered behind Wendy, who just started giggling.

"Thanks-" Wendy started before she got cut off.

"Who would want to learn anything from you flame-brain? You're the king of the idiots. Any advice you could give would probably do more harm than good" Gray said with a smug face.

"OI!" Natsu shouted. "I give good advice. I've given each of you advice in the past and it's usually helped you out" Natsu snapped as Gray just scoffed.

"You got lucky. No way you could spout any real wisdom" Gray said with the same smug face as Lucy and Erza giggled at what he said.

"Natsu does give me good advice pretty often" Wendy said timidly while fidgeting with the end of her skirt looking down at the floor.

"I agree, he has only ever tried to help Wendy grow up to be better than he was. His actions leave something to be desired but his advice has been solid so far" Charle added.

"Sure" Gray drawled while rolling his eyes as the other continued to laugh quietly. Wendy looked at Natsu and saw how their belittling of him was actually getting to him. But as soon as the hurt expression was there, it was gone and he smiled down at her. She gave him a concerned look to which he just shook his head and boarded the train.

"I'm surprised the idiot got on the train without complaining this time" Gray said once they got situated in their seats.

"Well you all made it obvious you don't really want to be here so I figured I had no reason to complain since you're doing this for me" Natsu stated simply. The other three froze at this and looked at each other.

"Okay that's the second thing you've said that is halfway decent or smart. Who are you and why are you trying to impersonate an idiot" Gray questioned with an incredulous look on his face.

"Watch yourself stripper. I have only so much patience" Natsu growled out as he tried to fall asleep.

"You have to admit that you have really been acting out of character recently Natsu. Are you sure you're okay?" Lucy asked to which he responded with just a scoff.

"You make it sound like I'm the dumbest person on the planet" Natsu said as he opened one eye.

"No, we know you aren't that dumb, but you have been acting smarter than usual is what Lucy meant" Erza said.

"Whatever, I'm gonna try to sleep so I don't have to suffer in this deathtrap for three hours" Natsu said as he closed his eye and attempted to get comfortable against the wall. Wendy followed his example except she snuggled up to Natsu to have his heat lull her to sleep. Both managed to fall asleep just before the train took off.

"Why would she try to get that close to him on a train? He might just hurl on her if she's that close" Gray said once he stopped looking out the window and noticed how the two slayers were.

"That's probably because Wendy sees Natsu as her older brother, so naturally she'll seek comfort from him if she knows something is going to be wrong with her" Charle replied from Wendy's lap.

"Really? How long has she seen him in such a light?" Erza asked as this was the first time she's heard of this.

"Really? Have you not been paying attention all of these years? She's viewed both Natsu and Gajeel as older brothers since she's met them. They've also both been there to help her and train her to use her dragon slayer magic" Charle said while looking at the other three mages.

"Now that you mention it, that makes a lot of sense when I look back on some of their interactions" Lucy said with a finger on her bottom lip while looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. With that they began to talk about whatever came to mind as the train continued on.

They arrived at the town and made their way to the mayor's office, making sure to cover their guild marks since the request said they should. When they made it to his office, they were quickly ushered in to the mayor's office. She told them that the bandits started causing trouble a few weeks ago, but recently have been demanding protection money from the citizens, even forcing some to give their stores up to the group. She then told them that the bandit group was overheard saying that they were going to try to take control of the town soon, which is why they needed to be stopped. Natsu and co. agreed that they needed to be stopped and then asked where the group was located and if they were mages or not. The mayor ended up telling them that their base is in a big building on the western edge of town next to an inn and a tailor, and that some of the bandits were believed to be mages but they weren't sure if they all were.

"Thank you for the information. We will take care of them now after we scout the area a little bit" Erza said as she got up while the mayor made to stand too.

"They are usually all in their base once night falls so if you want to get all of them in one shot, that's your best bet" The mayor said as the team made their leave.

"We'll wait for nightfall to attack then, thank you" Erza said with a smile. The team then left and checked in to an inn that was across the street, making sure their guild marks stayed covered while in the open.

"Alright, Natsu and Happy." "Aye!" "You two will scout out their position as soon as it gets dark out. Then report your findings and we'll devise a strategy on how to take the guild the easiest" Erza said once they convened in her room.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu said as he was eager to get started, hoping that one of the mages would give him a good challenge.

They lazed around for a few hours until night fell. Then Happy grabbed Natsu and took off towards the western edge of town. What they found was the building was like their guildhall. The members were drinking and joking around with each other and some were showing off their magic. After watching for 30 minutes, the duo were convinced that no one else was coming and that the group had no idea that the mayor had sent out to have them beaten. He returned to the group around 11:00 p.m. to tell them what he found.

"Alright Natsu, what do we have?" Erza asked as soon as he was situated.

"They've got about sixty members, I would say at least 50 can use magic" Natsu said.

"Good job, now how about the building itself? Do they have guards posted or anything of the like?" Erza asked him.

"They seem pretty laid back, almost like how our guild is. No one even paying attention to the doors, everyone was too busy drinking. There also was-" Natsu was cut off when Erza turned to Gray, Lucy and Wendy and began to make a strategy.

"Alright so they have no guards and 60 or so members. That means each of us gets 12. If we hit them hard and fast we should get them down in no time at all" Erza said.

"There could be members that were in a basement or something, so let's plan on there actually being 75 members" Lucy added.

"Well actually-" Natsu started but was cut off again as the others seemed to be ignoring him except the Exceeds and Wendy.

"Good call Lucy. So if we go in we can clear the main floor then separate into two groups to clear out any other floors" Gray said smiling at the two.

"I was saying there's another way i-" Natsu started but was cut off again by Erza.

"Enough talk Natsu, we have our plan. So let's head out" Erza said with a look that dared him to challenge her.

"Aye" Natsu mumbled as they all got up and headed out. As they were walking Natsu whispered to Happy to take Charle and cover the rear entrance to the building that he was trying to tell Erza about.

* * *

 **AND DONE. I Hope Ya'll likd it. Please review! Any constructive criticism is welcomed!**


	2. The Mission and the Decision

The team made their way across town quietly on the off chance that a member of the group was walking around. As they approached their destination, they all readied themselves. Erza got a sword out, Lucy grabbed Taurus' key, Gray stripped off his shirt, and Wendy and Natsu got into ready stances. The two exceeds went to hover over by the back entrance where Charle transformed so if someone ran out the back she could take them down.

"Alright" Erza said as she held her hand up. "Go!"

 **Arms, Vernier, Armor** Wendy chanted out her spells on herself and her allies as they blew the door off its hinges and attacked.

"What the hell?" One of the bandits screamed.

"Your time terrorizing these townspeople has come to and end" Erza called out as she and the rest got into their ready stances.

"It's just a group of kids! Get em!" Another bandit called out and the rest roared in approval and began to charge. This was what the team was waiting for as they then dispersed to take out their assigned floors/groups. Gray and Lucy stayed on the main floor while Erza went upstairs and Wendy and Natsu went downstairs.

" **Ice Make: Lance!",** Gray chanted.

Each bandit that was hit was frozen in place. Some were able to dodge though and the ice froze pieces of furniture or a wall in the back. Those that dodged began to fight back with their own magic. A few sent lighting at him which he was barely able to dodge in time. One sent water at him and Gray easily froze the water before he saw that the rest of the bandits had magical firing weapons.

They all began firing at the same time, and the mages joined in. The staves managed to get a few hits on Gray, but he was able to power through. He fired another spell as he chanted, " **Ice Make:Hammer!"**. This took out another three of the bandits, but Gray took some more hits from the lightning mages that seemed to paralyze him for a second.

"That all you got punk?" one bandit called out as he made his way towards the downed Gray, thinking that the lightning was going to completely paralyze the ice mage. Imagine his surprise when he got to stand over gray and immediately began freezing. The others jumped away from their comrade and readied themselves for another round of battle. One fired some fire magic from his staff at the mage, hoping that it would at least cancel out his ice if not overpower it.

"Your fire is nothing compared to his!", Gray shouted as he sent more lances out that went straight through the fire and froze the mage where he stood. The group of bandits then all began to fire their spells at Gray, most of which were elemental in nature. Gray had a hard time dodging everything sent his way so he protected himself a different way.

" **Ice Make:Shield** ", Gray shouted as he made a shield that cut the battlefield almost in half. He then used a new spell he had been developing to fire his shield towards his enemies in fragments, once again freezing them in blocks of ice.

" **Ice Make:Gatling Gun"** , Gray chanted calmly. This new spell fired off what looked like Gray's lances, except they were from his shield and continued firing until the shield was no more.

It was then Gray saw Erza fighting over the railing on the second floor. She was having no trouble with her fight. She rarely even changed her armors until one mage that appeared to have speedster magic attempted to run away.

Gray glanced as Erza chanted " **Requip:Flight Armor"** , and took off after the mage swinging her sword fast enough to send slashes after him. The two quickly made their way outside before Gray's attention was brought back to his own fight.

"Don't space out freak!", one of the remaining bandits said as she managed to nail him in the arm with a spell that looked like shadow magic. The spell sent him spinning as he lost his balance.

" **Ice Make:Cannon"** , Gray cried out as he was falling. This blasted the remaining mages through the wall that he had previously frozen.

While Gray was fighting his group of bandits, Lucy began her battle with another.

" **Open Gate of the Bull:Taurus"** **,** Lucy called out and Taurus came bursting out of the ground wielding his axe.

"Youuu look so beauuutiful Ms. Lucy!", Taurus exclaimed.

"Right", Lucy said with a sweat drop, "let's go Taurus!".

"Moooooo!", Taurus replied eagerly.

" **Star Dress:Taurus Form"** , Lucy said as her clothes changed. She then took her whip and waved it.

" **Earth Wave"** , Lucy cried as her whip tore up the ground and catapulted 6 bandits into the walls or tables behind them. Taurus took on 3 himself before turning back to Lucy looking for praise. While he wasn't looking, Taurus was blasted back to the Celestial world by a couple of the bandits. Lucy turned to them and saw that they each had a different type of magic; one had what looked like blue fire, one was covered in shadows, and the last seemed to be glowing but she couldn't tell why.

"Ready to go girly?", one of the bandits asked with a grin on his face. Lucy could sense that these three were no pushovers.

"I'm more than ready", Lucy said with a smirk as she readied her whip. Just as she was about to swing it at the three, Lucy found she couldn't move. She looked down and saw her own shadow snaking up and grabbing her arm.

" **Shadow Constrictor** ",the shadowy bandit called out, and to Lucy's shock the shadow slowly slithered up her arm to wrap her whole body up.

Thinking fast Lucy grabbed for her keys and called out " **Open Gate of the Lion: Leo!"**. Loke popped into the fight in a bright yellow light before using his Light magic to send the shadow away.

"Alright Loke!" Lucy exclaimed giving her friend a high five. The two turned towards their enemies and just in time as a blue wave of fire came flying at the two, which they barely avoided. The flames flew into the entrance way of the building and began burning it up.

"Cheap shot", Loke called out as he took a battle stance ready to spring towards his enemies.

"This is a fight, not a ball game, the bandit said while smirking, "if you want to take time to leave yourself open to celebrate, it would be dumb of us not to take advantage."

"Truly these mages are inexperienced", the shadow bandit commented.

"We're experienced enough to beat you!", Lucy called out before flying back into and through a pillar.

"Lucy!", Loke called out as he turned and saw the third bandit standing there with his leg extended and glowing brightly. "How did you get there?"

"Stupid question", the bandit said as he vanished in a flash of light before Loke felt his energy being drained. "Your Light magic is just what I need to charge up." Loke sluggishly moved his head to look behind him and saw the bandit had his hand on his shoulder. This lasted less than a minute before Loke disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

" **Force Gate Closure:Leo"** , Lucy called out after she regained her senses. " **Open Gate of the Maiden:Virgo"** , Lucy said as Virgo appeared next to her.

"Punishment time Princess?", Virgo asked emotionlessly.

"NO Virgo, but we need to defeat these guys", Lucy said exasperatedly. She loved her spirits, but none of them could really read a situation except Capricorn.

"As you wish Princess", Virgo said as she got into a battle stance. Virgo then charged the three while Lucy sent her whip over Virgo's head " **Earth Wave!"**

The three didn't bother moving as the shadow user used their shadows to absorb the brunt of Lucy's attack. The other two then began firing off balls of light and fire at the two girls, forcing them to stop and dodge again. The attacks that hit managed to scorch both of the girls, while the ones that missed began small fires on the ground, changing the size of the battlefield for all the participants. This forced Lucy and Virgo to begin to try and find ways to extinguish the fires.

As the two were using their powers to put out the fires, two mages came flying up through the floor and smashed into the three. Once the smoke cleared, they noticed that it looked like more bandits came flying up from downstairs and took out their own guys.

Lucy and Virgo looked at each other wide-eyed, before they noticed the three they were fighting begin to get up. Just as they were going to make a move, Natsu appeared behind them and knocked them all out. He looked up and saw Virgo and Lucy slightly burnt and adopted a concerned look.

"You alright Lucy? Virgo?", Natsu asked as he made his way over to them to inspect their injuries.

"I am fine Master", Virgo replied evenly.

"I'm alright Natsu", Lucy replied with a smile, "I've had worse before".

"Alright, well Wendy should be wrapping up her final couple of mages, then she'll be able to take a look at you", Natsu said to Lucy as Virgo said good-bye and went back to the Celestial World to heal.

"Okay", Lucy replied as they looked around and finally noticed that the place was going up in flames. Natsu quickly sucked all of them up to prevent them from spreading anymore.

"About damn time fire-breath" Gray said grumpily as he made his way over. "Thought you were going to destroy this building with your flames too."

"What's that supposed to mean Stripper?", Natsu growled.

"Enough guys", Lucy quickly interjected since she knew what Gray meant and didn't want them to fight here.

"Lucy's right you two", Erza said firmly as she came up to the group followed by Wendy, "We need to report our success to the Mayor."

As they walked outside they noticed that a few buildings in the surrounding area had been damaged greatly. There were obviously slash marks and ice coating some of the buildings, but they had recently caught fire. Some had been hit by the bandits, especially the blue fire user. A few were still burning. This made the three older mages groan and look at Natsu disapprovingly.

"What?" Natsu asked as they looked at him.

"Look at what you did Natsu!", Gray almost yelled as he pointed to the charred buildings.

"But I didn't-", Natsu started but was interrupted by a set of sighs from Lucy and Erza.

"Enough Natsu, let's just go", Erza said as they began walking.

Natsu stayed still for a little bit longer before he sucked up the remaining blue flames and then noticed that Wendy was standing there still looking at him. He gave Wendy a fake smile to reassure her that he was fine. The two then called out to Happy and Charle and saw the two Exceeds fly over the building to meet up with them.

"We only had three try to escape", Charle reported as they began to walk to catch up with the group.

"Managed to take care of them all?", Natsu asked as he laced his fingers together behind his head.

"Of course. They didn't even come out at the same time", Charle cut over Happy, who was probably going to launch into a tirade about how he took them out when in reality he only took one out.

"That's great Charle", Wendy said with a smile. "I'm glad no one was really hurt. Lucy and Gray's injuries weren't bad at all."

"Yeah, that's always a good thing", Happy replied as he then landed on Natsu's head and grabbed a fish out of his backpack.

"Mhmm", Natsu added as he thought about why his friends would blame him for all of the damage caused.

He didn't even use his magic! Well, besides one **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist** , but that can hardly count as he didn't hit any of the building with it.

' _Then again, it did send two mages up through the floor'_ Natsu thought to himself. ' _But still… I wasn't even on a level that had access to the neighboring buildings. It was the bandits' fault, not mine.'_ With that Natsu nodded slightly to himself so he didn't throw Happy off his head.

The group met up with the Rune knights that were on standby to arrest the rogue mages. They told the Knights that they had finished their mission and they could go and safely handle the bandit group. The Knights thanked them before marching off to apprehend the group. One in particular thanked them because he was from the town and was unhappy anything bad could happen to his family and friends' livelihoods. After seeing the Knights off, the team made their way to their hotel rooms to get some sleep before they meet with the mayor. Everyone quickly did their nightly rituals and got into their beds. Almost all of them fell asleep instantly. The only one still awake was Natsu. He couldn't get the looks his team gave him out of his mind.

' _They'll be fine in the morning'_ Natsu tried to convince himself. ' _They did only come because I asked and they think I destroyed everything though….maybe they won't be so fine.'_

He turned over and looked out of the window since he took window side in the boys' room. The moon was full and he could make out the stars since a majority of the city was sleeping for the night and no lights were on. Natsu always enjoyed looking at the stars. They calmed him. It brought him back to when he lived outside with Igneel and how at night the two of them would stargaze for a few hours before they went to sleep.

' _I hope you're proud of me...dad'_ Natsu thought sadly. He wanted to live his life to the fullest so if Igneel was watching over him he would be proud. If he couldn't watch over him, then Natsu hoped there was an afterlife so he could tell Igneel all about his adventures when they met up again.

With that he thought about his brother. Natsu felt sorry for Zeref. He wasn't nearly as evil as the Council made him out to be. He was just a man with an incredibly sad story. Natsu felt a twinge of guilt that he had to put his own brother down. He was so grateful to Mavis that he didn't have to land the final blow to end his life.

' _He's just a man that had a messed up life….and it was only because he loved me so much'_ Natsu thought sadly. He sorely wished that his brother could be at peace now, knowing that he didn't deserve the hell Ankhseram cursed him with.

As was the case for most of the time when Natsu couldn't sleep, his thoughts went back to his friends. How each of them had hardships that they were forced to endure from a young age. He knew that he would always try his best to make them happy. Whether that meant making a fool out of himself or just being there for everyone he didn't care.

His thoughts turned to Wendy and a smile graced his lips. His "little sister" has grown so much since he's met her. She was now a beautiful young woman that would be able to fend for herself in almost any situation. Yet she was still one of the kindest people he's ever met. Wendy was always willing to put others first, and he only hoped that he was modeling that life alongside her. He thought back to her battles today that he watched out of the corner of his eye so he could help her if she really needed it.

 **(Flashback)**

Wendy ran into the basement behind Natsu and stood next to him as the bandits grouped up and faced them. The two were tense, able to move in any direction should there be a need.

"Well lookie here men" one bandit said with a large grin on his face. "These two kids seem to have a death wish." The bandits behind him laughed at this and started preparing themselves to subdue and possibly kill the two mages.

"Can we keep the girl boss?" a large man with horrible teeth and a scar across his eye asked excitedly.

"Oh right…you like em younger don't you Jacob?" the first bandit asked to which he got a furious amount of nodding from Jacob and a few other men. This caused the leader to grin evilly. "I don't see why we can let y'all have another plaything. Whoever gets her can have her first."

"What did you say?" Natsu asked in a quiet voice that caused shivers to run down Wendy's spine. She had never heard Natsu sound so furious before.

"I said, pinky, that your little girlfriend is gonna be our property after we take care of yah" the man said with a large grin. Natsu didn't respond, but he looked at the man with fire in his eyes. Wendy was furious as well. How dare they talk about her like that? Her and Natsu were of one mind at this point. Both were promising themselves that they wouldn't let these men's' desires go any further.

"Get em!" Jacob yelled as he and the rest began to charge.

Natsu recognized just how upset Wendy was about what

was just said about her so he decided he'd let her deal with most of the bandits. He knew it was something she could definitely handle.

As the men charged, Wendy saw that they were being vastly underestimated. She knew she could take these guys out and it looked like Natsu was going to let her blow off some steam. She thanked him in her head and made he own move. Wendy used her wind magic to boost herself towards the men and cried out " **Sky Dragon's Wing Attack".** She knocked about half the men into the walls around then with that one move. The others realized that she was going to do something and blocked what they could. The men quickly realized that they had sorely underestimated the girl solely based on her size and appearance. They then corrected that mistake and started to take the battle seriously.

A few of the bandits decided long range attacks would work so they started firing beams of fire from their staves. These would have been no problem for Wendy to dodge, but Natsu decided he wanted to taste the fire so he quickly sucked it up.

"Thanks for the meal" Natsu said as he wiped his mouth. This caused the mages to freeze as they had no clue anyone could eat fire. Natsu smirked as Wendy used the bandits' distraction to launch another attack. " **First Sky Arrow"** Wendy chanted as she launched a bolt of wind towards the bandits. Since they weren't paying attention to her, Wendy's attack managed to hit three of the bandits that were standing close together.

This brought all attention back to Wendy as the men began to send their own attacks towards the girl. Wendy quickly used her magic to keep herself out of harm's way. She dodged and weaved through the spaces left between magic blasts. Wendy wasn't prepared, however, for when a group moved in to attack her with swords and maces. She had assumed that all had long range magic weapons, and she narrowly avoided a mace swing that would have surely knocked her out. She turned and saw Jacob standing over her with what looked like a tree trunk swung over his shoulder. Next to him the bandit leader was staring at her. Before she could react, the two men were kicked away from her and she saw a flash of pink go flying after them.

"I got these two Wendy" Natsu growled. "You finish off the rest!"

"Okay Natsu!" Wendy called as she widened her stance. " **Sky Dragon's Roar"** Wendy called out as a large wave of wind overpowered a majority of those left and sent them back quite a bit. A few even got flung into the stone walls and were knocked out. The last thing Natsu saw before he punch the two men through the ceiling and followed them was wendy using a " **Sky Dragon's Claw"** to subdue two more of the bandits.

 **(Flashback End)**

Natsu couldn't help but smile his usual toothy grin at the memory. He didn't think he could be prouder of his little sister. She showed that she was becoming a fine mage. Natsu knew her preference was to not fight, but she was willing to fight if it meant protecting her friends or innocent people. Not only that, but for her age she was extremely powerful. Her healing ability was getting better as she expanded her magical container. She was able to heal the team up without even breaking a sweat whereas she would have passed out if she was still the same from when they first met. Natsu just hoped that he was a good influence on the young girl that he knew looked up to him as he was finally able to fall asleep.

Natsu woke up after what only felt like minutes to Erza banging on their door.

"Wake up you two!" Erza called through the door. "We have to meet up with the Mayor to inform him of our success."

"Alright Erza be there in a minute" Gray called back as he walked out of the bathroom after his shower.

"Yeah be out soon" Happy chirped as he and Natsu crawled out of bed and went to brush their teeth and take a quick shower.

The boys exited their room and made their way down to the lobby where the girls were waiting. Erza must have gone into her drill sergeant persona to make sure the girls got up and out at a "reasonable time."

"Good, we're all here" Erza said as she began to turn towards the door. "We paid for the rooms already so let's go everyone."

"Aye Sir!"

The team made it into the Mayor's office where they were informed they were going to lose a small portion of their pay to help with the damages. This made everyone groan, but when they heard it was only 10% they decided it could be worse.

As they left Natsu said "hey just take the loss out of my cut."

The others turned to look at him incredulously. Wendy because she knew the damages weren't Natsu's fault, but the rest because they never would have guessed that Natsu would voluntarily take the cut.

"If you're sure Natsu" Lucy said hesitantly.

"Yeah it's no problem" Natsu replied as he continued walking towards the train station.

The team arrived back in Magnolia around 1 p.m. and as they came up to the doors Natsu went ahead and kicked the doors open with a "WE MADE IT BACK!" This got him a slap on the back of the head by Erza as she told him to go easier on the doors.

"Hey guys!" Mira called from behind the bar. "How'd the mission go?"

"Fine" Erza replied. "We completed it with no trouble."

"Oh?" Mira asked as she glanced at Natsu. "No loss of pay?"

"Well...for most of us no loss" Lucy replied as she glanced at NAtsu who didn't seem to mind.

"That's good!" Mira happily said. "Now would you like something to eat?"

"You're an angel Mira!" Natsu and Happy cried causing Mira to giggle at their antics.

"So the usual for you two?" Mira asked with a smile.

"Of course!" Natsu said happily. He didn't know how but Mira's cooking always tasted the best.

"And the rest of you?" Mira asked as she turned to the rest of the team.

"My usual" Erza said as she sat at the bar.

"No thanks" Lucy said. "I'm going to head home and make myself a little something before I take a nap."

"Okay, later Lucy" Natsu and the rest said as they waved to her.

"See you later guys!" Lucy called over her shoulder as she left.

The rest of the team hung out for the rest of the day. Eventually Lucy returned and went on a walk with Levy. Afterwards she went and sat with the rest of her team and they all chatted happily as a few other guild members joined them. After Natsu said they should take another mission soon the rest agreed that it wouldn't be too bad if they did a mission every couple of days so they could build up their cash reserves. So that's exactly what they did. But when they took missions in towns or cities, they would have a lot of their reward going towards the destruction they caused. After 5 months it became too much for the team.

"Natsu" Erza called as she saw the dragonslayer enter the guild much later than normal.

"Oh, hey Erza" Natsu replied as he made his way over. "What's up?"

"Natsu, we've decided to temporarily put a stop on taking missions as a team" Lucy said while looking at the table since she knew this was going to hurt the boy.

"What? Why?" Natsu asked, shocked about what he just heard.

"We haven't been getting much in the way of rewards Natsu" Erza said calmly. "We also have a good amount saved up so there's no reason to take missions. However, you can still take missions to test yourself if you wish."

"But...It's more fun when we're all together" Natsu said sullenly.

"We know Natsu, but we need a break. Some of us have other things going on in our lives than training" Lucy said as she looked him in the eye.

"Oh" Natsu said quietly, realizing that his drive to take so many missions was keeping his friends away from their significant others. "Sorry."

"There's no need to apologize Natsu" Erza said simply. "We agreed to go on those missions so you did nothing wrong."

"Well I guess this means a temporary break?" Gray asked as he looked around and saw that Erza and Lucy agreed while Wendy and Charle agreed rather reluctantly. He then turned to Natsu and Happy and saw Happy agree like Wendy and Charle did while Natsu just gave an almost imperceptible nod.

The girls felt bad that they were "leaving" Natsu, but they wanted to spend more time at the guild and with their boyfriends. Even if Jellal only came around once in awhile as he still had a self-appointed mission, Erza wanted to spend all the time with him she could. Lucy's new boyfriend lived in Magnolia so she could see him more often, but she didn't have much time for him with her taking missions so actively and she was working on her new novel. Without the missions she could spend more time doing both.

Gray was happy because even though most guild members didn't know about his and Juvia's relationship, he still liked to spend time with his girlfriend and with this break he could make their relationship known. It was about time, plus he was in the process of building up the courage to ask her to move in with him. He knew she'd say yes, but it was a big step for him. It was different than when they lived together after Fairy Tail disbanded because now they were dating.

Wendy and Charle welcomed the break as they wanted to go visit their friends aat Lamia Scale, but Wendy was hesitant because she knew Natsu was going to take the break hard. Happy, however, was much happier than his "father" since he and Charle started dating and now he could take her to some of his favorite places to relax around Magnolia.

Natsu was feeling down about the whole thing. He realized that his team had been talking about this for some time, but never included him in the conversation. If they had told him before he wouldn't have fought with them on it.

' _Do they think I care more about training than their happiness?'_ Natsu thought sadly. He knew he wouldn't get an answer on that unless he asked, but they all were happy about the break so he would be too. Or he would at least try to be. For now, he would take an occasional solo mission and focus on making a training schedule that would allow him to have time for the guild.

 **Hope you enjoyed it! I'm sorry for the late release, but I didn't like the way I wrote it originally and did a massive overhaul. I'm going to try and have my stories out faster, but things get hectic with work and studying. Please Review!**

 **Until Next time!**


	3. The Next Day

**Dank Dang, WhiteShaq01, and memlrd Thanks for the reviews! I wish guest was signed on so I could ask what they didn't like but oh well.**

 **Big snow storm heading my way so I may be snowed in tomorrow with nothing else to do but write, oh no!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail, all credit goes to Hiro Mashima**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

Natsu woke up the next morning and stared up at his ceiling. ' _The team's been temporarily disbanded'_ he thought glumly. ' _Goin on solo missions sucks now that I've gotten used to havin a team. Guess I'll train today instead.'_

He got up and stretched until he felt a couple pops in his shoulders and back. Happy, hearing this, got up and did the same.

"What's the plan for today Natsu?" Happy asked as he flew towards the kitchen.

Natsu hummed as he looked around. ' _Maybe I should get to making this place bigger'_ he thought. ' _Or maybe I'll make a new place behind this one! Yeah! I'll give us bedrooms and all that other stuff Lucy and Lisanna keep saying about a 'real' house!'_ Now he was excited. He had been saving up a good bit of money recently. He would have no problems getting the materials.

"Natsu?" Happy tried again as he realized Natsu was in his own world thinking, which rarely happened. It actually kind of freaked the cat out.

"Hmm?" Natsu hummed absently.

"What are we doing today?" Happy asked again.

"Oh! I got a good idea Happy!" Natsu replied cheerfully. "I'm gonna build us a bigger house!"

"Really?!" Happy said, wide-eyed.

"Yeah!" Natsu nodded excitedly. "I'll make us a "real" house like the girls keep tellin us. Then we can have our own rooms if we want, an extra room if anyone has to spend the night, a nice bathroom, and a huge~ kitchen!"

Both started drooling at the thought of food.

"Maybe first we head to Fairy Tail and get some grub" Natsu said sheepishly after his stomach roared.

"Aye Sir!" Happy cheered as his stomach grumbled too, even though he just finished a fish.

The duo made their way to Fairy Tail going over the details of what they wanted in their home. Natsu has to say no to some of Happy's more...exotic ideas. Like fish shaped windows and furniture. Natsu did cave and tell Happy he can have a fish bed frame though. They also decided that even after they move out of their current place, they'd keep it and maintain it. In case someone ever needed it or they could make it a workout room or something.

They quieted down when they finally got close to the guild. Natsu kicked the doors in and yelled "we're here!" To which they received a murmur from those in the guild hall. Some said "it's too early for this" while others just greeted them normally, knowing full-well that Natsu was never going to grow out of that. The duo made their way straight to the bar so they could order some food.

"Good morning you two" Mira greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Mira!" the two responded.

"Can we get some food? We're starving!" Natsu cried, his stomach roaring for added effect.

Mira just giggled. "Sure Natsu. One hungry Natsu breakfast and two fish for Happy coming right up!"

"Why only two MIra?" Happy whined.

"I know you had one at home Happy" MIra responded over her shoulder. "And don't even try to deny it."

"It's like she's psychic" Happy muttered from his hands and knees in defeat. He's never been able to get one over on Mira. It was almost like she had something that let her keep track of how much fish Happy had a day.

"Well that's how it always is bud" Natsu said as he leaned back onto the bar. "You always have a fish before we head to the guild."

"Ah!" Happy cried as he realized his daily habits have become repetitive to the point where you could set your clock by them. "That's gonna change! Just you wait Natsu!"

"Alright" Natsu said with a grin. Happy's said the same thing at least once a week for the past year or two so he knew his little buddy wasn't going to change.

"Here's your food!" Mira sang happily as she reappeared with their dishes, which the two dug into greedily. Natsu devoured his plate of steak and eggs with pancakes, bacon, sausage, and homefries. Happy took longer to finish his fish, but only just.

"Whew" Natsu sighed happily. "That hit the spot!"

"Aye Sir!" Happy exclaimed.

"So what are you two up to today?" Mira said after she finished giggling at their antics.

"Well I was gonna-" Natsu started but then he remembered the break and slumped onto the bar. Then he mumbled, "just hang out here today I guess."

"Oh Natsu, a break isn't the end of the world. They wanted to spend more time with their friends here at the guild, is that so wrong?" Mira asked.

"No, I get it" Natsu said as he picked his head up a little. "I'm not mad at them or anything, it's just gonna suck doin missions by ourselves now."

"It won't be for that long, you'll see" Mira said comfortingly as she pat his head.

"Hope so" Natsu grumbled. "Well, let's see if we can get started on that project Happy!"

"Aye Sir!" Happy yelled and the two popped up and made to dash off when Mira cleared her throat.

"What project is this?" Mira asked curiously. It wasn't often that the two decided to do a project. And usually when they did it was a big prank that she ended up cleaning.

"It's a secret!" Natsu cackled as Happy grabbed his shirt and they took off out of the guild. Mira could only sigh and shake her head fondly.

"He's always so happy" she said with a smile.

"There's a lot to be happy about these days" Makarov said from his seat next to the bar.

"I know Master, but sometimes it surprises me how those two can stay so positive" Mira said as she grabbed their dirty dishes and made her way back to the kitchen.

"Some happiness is forced" Makarov said to himself as he watched the two boys fade from sight.

Natsu and Happy raced to the office Natsu said he used to get plans for their cabin. They were going to get official plans for their new house and were hoping if they gave their thoughts to the architect, he'd be able to draw it up for them. Natsu just hoped that the same guy he used before was still working there. He didn't make Natsu feel stupid the first time he was here getting a drawing, so he was who they wanted to use again.

"Hello! Welcome to Magnolia Home Emporium!" the receptionist said cheerfully when they arrived. "How can I he-Oh my goodness! You're Natsu Dragneel the Salamander!"

"Heh.. that's me" Natsu said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, my son is such a huge fan Mr. Salamander sir!" She cried out.

"Please, just call me Natsu" Natsu said embarrassed.

"Whatever you say Natsu" she responded cheerfully. "So how can I help you?"

"We're here to get a drawing done for a house" Natsu explained. "We'd like to use Anthony, if he still works here."

"Oh he most definitely does!" the receptionist responded excitedly. "He always talks about what an honor it was to help you when you needed it since you're always helping people now!"

"Eh.. it's not that big of a deal…" Natsu said but the receptionist wasn't listening anymore. She paged an office, Natsu guessed was Anthony's.

"Mr. DeGrazia?" she asked.

"Yes Ellen?" Anthony said.

"I have a Mr. Salamander here to see you. He wants you to make him another drawing for a house" Ellen said and then they heard a crash from down the hall and a tall many of average build and dark hair came hurriedly around the corner.

"Oh, Mr. Dragneel it's so good to see you again!" Anthony said happily as he shook Natsu's hand.

"Likewise Anthony" Natsu said with a grin. "I'm happy you're still here! With the service I got last time I knew there was only one place I could go for another drawing."

"You honor me Mr. Dragneel" Anthony said with a bright smile.

"Just Natsu please" Natsu said.

"Alright Natsu, and you must be Happy" Anthony said turning to Happy and offering his hand, which Happy took.

"Aye!" Happy said as they shook hands.

"Well let's go get working on your new drawing!" Anthony said as he held his hands out for them to walk ahead of him.

"Awesome!" Natsu and Happy cheered. Natsu turned to Ellen and said, "It was nice meeting you Ellen. If you have something for me when I get back, Happy n I'll autograph it for your son."

"You'd do that?" Ellen asked ecstatically.

"Of course. If he's a huge fan it's the least I could do!" Natsu said cheerfully as the trio began making their way down the hallway.

Once they got situated in Anthony's office he asked, "So you've finally outgrown that small cottage eh?"

"Eh, it's still fine for me and Happy, but a few of our friends have said we could get more space and now that we have a good deal saved up we decided to go for it!" Natsu finished cheerfully.

"Oh so you're expanding on the cottage?" Anthony asked.

"Nah we want a new house behind it" Natsu explained. "We're gonna keep the cottage just in case."

"Smart idea. Maybe you could rent it" Anthony said thoughtfully.

"So what ideas do you guys have for the new house?" Anthony asked as he took out a pen and paper to write it all down. The meeting took awhile, but Anthony said he would have it ready by the end of the day for them.

Natsu and Happy saw themselves out after they finished with Anthony.

"Hey Ellen" Natsu said as they got back to the waiting room.

"Hello Natsu!" Ellen said happily as she put a file away.

"Got something for us to sign?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"O-oh, yes! Yes I do!" Ellen said happily. She thought he would've forgotten after the meeting. Ellen happily got a picture of Natsu from the Grand Magic games out of her desk.

"Oh was this from the Dragon Slayer fight?" Natsu asked as he took the picture.

"Yes!" Ellen replied. "Fairy tail was selling some good photos of you all that participated in their gift shop so Max _had_ to have it." Natsu chuckled at this as he wrote a little blurb and signed the photo then held it out so Happy could.

"Well now he has another reason to want it" Natsu said cheerfully as he handed it back to Ellen.

"Oh thank you so much Natsu!" Ellen said happily. "I'm sure he'll be so happy!"

"I hope so" Natsu said. "We'll be back before you guys close to pick up okay?"

"O-of course Natsu! Come back whenever you want!" Ellen said quickly, then blushed deeply as she realized how that sounded. Happy, hearing this, put his paws over his mouth once they were outside and the door closed behind them.

"She liiiiiikes you" Happy drawled.

"Oh c'mon Happy, she's married" Natsu said as he rolled his eyes.

"Meh" Happy said apathetically as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm gonna get some trainin in before we go pick up the plans" Natsu said as he stretched. "You comin?"

"Nah" Happy answered. "I'm gonna go see Charle and Wendy."

"Suit yourself bud" Natsu said as he began walking towards the woods. "I'll see you in a little."

"Bye!" Happy cheered before zooming off towards the guild.

Natsu shook his head. He expected Happy to want to see Charle since they weren't in the guild earlier. ' _Alright, time to clear some land'_ Natsu thought as he came up to his house.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"** Natsu chanted as he punch a boulder 200 yards behind the cottage. The boulder easily crumbled into dust. " **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack"** Natsu said as he whipped ten trees snapping them in half and setting fire to both sides. He turned to look at his work and saw that after the fires burned out he'd have a nice sized lot, but decided to make it bigger so he could have a yard. ' _Well one day I want to have kids and play with them outside'_ Natsu thought to himself as he readied his next spell. " **Fire Dragon's Talon"** He cried as he kicked the ground and shot out a wave of fire that obliterated all in front of it, digging a large trench in the dirt.

"Whoops heheh" Natsu said as he scratched the back of his head. "Guess I put too much into that one. Maybe I should try clearing some more land without magic. MIght help me build up strength. It'll at least be a good warm up." So Natsu went and started punching and kicking a few more trees and rocks until there wasn't much left standing in an area that could house a football arena. He even deadlifted a few trees out of the ground, but ended up having to burn the roots since they were deep.

After about an hour Natsu looked back over his handiwork. ' _Not bad'_ he thought proudly before swiping his hand to control the flames already burning to burn the stumps and felled trees. He was happy that he was able to move the flames telepathically. It was something he was working on recently to show he could control his magic better. Downside was it only worked for him about 50% of the time.

The trees burned down to nothing and he used his control to send the fire skyward….except it wasn't responding like he wanted. "Gah!" Natsu yelled angrily. "Just do what I want!" He wasn't used to trying to control fire not on or out of his body, but he wanted to be able to. That way if he came up against a guy like Totomaru again he'd be better suited to fight. Or he could start using some sneak attacks from behind enemies he was facing.

"But first I have to get it to listen to me!" Natsu said angrily as the fire continued to burn and not move how he wanted it to. He was so close, he could feel a breakthrough coming. "If Erza can control 200 swords with her mind I should be able to send a little bit of fire into the sky!" eventually the fire burned out, but the strain of continually using his magic to try and force the fire to move won out and natsu fell onto his back to relax.

"I….*pant*...*pant*...will get this.…*pant*...*pant*...soon" Natsu gasped out. He didn't remember a time he felt this drained since his fights with Zeref and Acnologia. "But first...water."

Natsu crawled his way to the pond nearby and flopped into the shallow water to cool down. Then he popped back up and took some gulps of water to rehydrate.

"Whew!" He exclaimed as he wiped his mouth. "I wonder how it's going at the guild."

"Probably better than whatever you were doing before Natsu" a voice said from the tree line.

"Oh, hey you guys. Whatcha doin all the way out here?" Natsu asked as he turned as saw the Connell women.

"Well Asuka wanted to come find her favorite playmate, but we saw you focusing and decided to watch and see what you were doing" Bisca answered as Asuka ran up to Natsu and pointed her pop guns at him.

"Hands up!" Asuka cried, which Natsu complied with immediately.

"Alright, yah got me" Natsu said with his hands in the air. "But what'd I do?"

"Mira said you're sad, so you're under arrest until you feel better!" Asuka said with a serious face.

"HAHA okay Asuka. Can I not be under arrest now? I'm not sad" Natsu said as he started to slowly lower his hands. Asuka gave him a once over and seemed to be looking for something.

"Hmm….. I guess so. You don't seem sad" Asuka said as she reholstered her guns.

"Thanks" Natsu said as he dropped his hands.

"So what were you trying to do Natsu?" Bisca asked.

"I'm trying to control fire like that Totomaru guy Romeo learned from" Natsu said with a pout as he crossed his arms and hunched his back.

"HEEHEE I guess it's not going as well as you hoped?" Bisca asked with a giggle.

"Nah. Only works half of the time" Natsu said as he relaxed.

"So Natsu…" Asuka said and Natsu hummed in response as he turned back to her. "Wanna play?"

"Sure!" Natsu said with a toothy grin. "What're we playin?"

"Tag!" Asuka cheered, then turned to run away. "And you're it!"

"Hey! No fair!" Natsu yelled after her but only got her laughter in response. Bisca laughed at this too as she saw the Dragon Slayer was taking this play time "seriously."

"Well you'll never catch her if you just stand there and complain" Bisca said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah" Natsu waved her off. "Just counting to 25 like we usually do." Then he took off after the little girl. For the next 20 minutes Bisca just heard her daughter squealing and laughing from the area surrounding her along with Natsu's laughter. She was more than content to let those two run around while she took in the peaceful atmosphere of the forest. Soon enough, Natsu came over with Asuka riding his shoulders as she let out a little yawn.

"You really tired her out huh?" Bisca asked as she watched her daughter.

"Of course" Natsu said proudly. "I take every game seriously."

Bisca just rolled her eyes. "Well let's get back to the guild. I told Alzack we'd be back about an hour after we left and it's almost been two."

"You two go ahead, I'm gonna clean up then I'll head over" Natsu said as he put Asuka down.

"Alright, see you in a bit" Bisca said as she took Asuka's hand.

"Bye Natsu!" Asuka cheered as they walked away.

"Later" Natsu called back, then walked over and started moving the pieces of boulder that were still of decent size and put them in the trench. "Less dirt I have to add" Natsu said when he finished. He looked around again and saw mostly burnt grass surrounding the immediate area where he wanted to put his new house.

"Yeah maybe I went a little overboard. Oh well, it'll help the future grass grow" Natsu said as he walked to his house to shower. After he finished cleaning up he started for the guild. ' _I hope Asuka gives me time to eat before she wants to play again'_ Natsu thought to himself. He felt bad that Asuka didn't have anyone her age in the guild to play with, but he enjoyed the time they spent together. ' _Plus that time she tried to get me and Lucy to kiss. Can't let your guard down around even a_ little _girl in this guild.'_ Natsu thought as he approached the doors to the guild and kicked them open again.

"You break those doors you're replacin em!" came an angry response to the Dragon Slayer's antics.

"Yeah, yeah. You got it Gramps" Natsu said as he made his way to the bar to order himself a late lunch. He spotted Happy sitting with Charle, Wendy, Erza, and Pantherlily at a table. That was new. Usually Lily didn't leave Gajeel's table except to get his kiwis.

"Hey Natsu" Mira greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Mira" Natsu said as he adopted a pout. "Sending kids to check up on me now huh?"

"I didn't _send_ her" Mira defended. "I just told her she should go cheer you up."

"That's like the same thing!" Natsu replied. Mira just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"Oh well" Mira sang.

"Hmph" Natsu pouted.

"Oh stop with the showmanship. Do you want something to eat?" Mira asked knowing it was one of the reasons why he showed up again.

"Yeah!" Natsu replied quickly. "Lemme get some fire chicken Mira!"

After he got a look from Mira he added "please?" which got Mira to smile and nod. "I'll be right back" Mira said as she made her way to the kitchen again.

"Natsu!" a voice said from Natsu's right. He turned to see who it was and saw Lisanna coming over to him.

"Oh, hey Lisanna" Natsu said with a grin. "How've you been?"

"Busy" Lisanna replied. "Elfman decided he wanted to keep up with you guys when you were taking all of those jobs to prove he was just as manly."

"Oh. Sorry about that" Natsu said.

"Not your fault, but I had to tell him no a few times so I could spend some time with Mira and our other friends." Lisanna said.

"How have your missions been?" Natsu asked.

"Not bad. Nothing crazy hard compared to the war, so that's always a plus" Lisanna replied. "You?"

"We've had some trouble on a couple of jobs, but mainly they've been good" Natsu said happily.

"That's good!" Lisanna said. "At least you're getting to challenge yourself on some jobs."

"Yeah" Natsu said sheepishly. "But some time off might be nice too."

"Here's your food Natsu" Mira said as she slid his plate in front of him. "By the way, what's this project you and Happy are working on? He won't tell."

"You and Happy have a new project?" Lisanna asked, thinking of who the two would want to prank today.

"Yeah, and it's a secret" Natsu replied as he dug into his food.

"It won't be messy, will it Natsu?" Mira said with a smile but let a little of her magic flare which stopped Natsu mid bite.

"N-no M-Mira" Natsu stammered. "I-It has nothing to do with the guild!"

"Oh?" Mira said as she leaned closer to him, which made Lisanna puff her cheeks out a bit. "Now I really wanna know what your project is."

"Not telling" Natsu said as he went back to eating.

"Oh c'mon Natsu~" Lisanna playfully whined. "At least tell me!"

"Hmm….alright" Natsu said. At this Mira looked shocked and Lisanna was glowing with happiness. "You'll see it once it's done" This made both of them deflate.

"That's not what I meant Natsu and you know it!" Lisanna pouted. Natsu ruffled her hair in response.

"I know, but it wouldn't be much of a secret if I told now would it?" Natsu asked playfully. "You two'll be some of the first to know when it's done. What time is it?"

"Huh? It's almost 4. Why?" Mira asked as she looked at the clock over her shoulder and back at Natsu who got up.

"No reason. Happy!" Natsu yelled. "We gotta go!"

"Aye sir!" Happy responded as he flew over and landed on Natsu's head. "Let's go!" And the two made their way out while the two Strauss's watched.

"Think he got everything we wanted?" Happy asked Natsu once they were a ways away.

"Probably. We did throw a lot at him thought" Natsu replies as they came up to the door which Natsu pushed open.

"Good aftern— oh! Natsu and Happy!" Ellen said happily. "Here to pick up your drawing?"

"Yeah! Is it done?" Natsu asked quickly.

"Umm. He hasn't dropped it off here yet, but I'm sure he's almost done. You can wait here if you want" Ellen said as she went back to organizing some paperwork.

"Alright. Can we pay now? Or do you have to wait until Anthony brings it out?" Natsu asked.

"We have to wait. Sorry" Ellen said.

"No problem. We'll wait then" Natsu said and Happy nodded. After waiting another 20 minutes and making small conversations with Ellen, Anthony came out and brought their drawing with him.

"Hey boys" Anthony greeted. "So I got most of your requests in, but I couldn't fit all of them in the size house you wanted. I hope that's okay."

"Well let's take a look" Happy replied. They unfurled the drawing and both Natsu and Happy liked what they saw after going over it with Anthony.

"It's great!" Natsu cheered.

"Aye!" Happy confirmed.

"I'm glad you like it!" Anthony said as he gave Ellen a piece of paper.

"Now just to pay" Natsu said as the rolled the plans back up. They went and paid for the drawing before bidding the two farewell and heading home to catch some fish in the pond for dinner and going to bed.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it. Remember to review as it helps me write! See yah next chapter.**


	4. A Bit of a Dilemma

**WhiteShaq01-Thanks for the review! I'm thinking of getting deeper into the story and putting out a poll on who everyone would like him to end up with. I've diverged a bit from my original idea, but it'll still follow the same outline and I couldn't figure out who I wanted him paired with. But it will happen later on.**

 **Seisaoftw- Thanks for the review! Yeah me too. Especially during this final season, it's clear Natsu isn't the idiot everyone thinks he is.I hope I'm doing a good job showing that he has a secret thoughtful/smart side. Another thing I like to see is that the dragon slayer's senses are more powerful than they get credit for.**

 **Sashaplaz444- Thanks for the review! I got your review and decided I'd step this chater up so I could get it out sooner, so thanks!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail. All Credit goes to Hiro Mashima.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

' _I know I said I'd be more careful with my magic, but this is ridiculous'_ Natsu thought to himself as he beat down the last bandit without magic. ' _It's almost like they're only letting me go on jobs that are too easy for me. I haven't needed to use magic since the last team mission.'_

Natsu was on a job by himself for the day. He was asked to escort a noble to Hargeon so he could take his ship out to his vacation island. This group of 10 was all that showed up and he didn't even have to use magic.

' _How am I supposed to get stronger if every "emergency request" I'm asked for is this easy?'_ Natsu thought to himself.

It was about two weeks after he picked up the plans for his house. He was able to get a nice space dug for the basement he wanted and put the foundation down before he was told Makarov had an emergency job that asked for him by name a week ago. That job was to be some rich girl's date to her cousin's, who is a Duke or something, wedding. While he had a good time, he was sure the woman could have gotten another date if she really tried. She was well-mannered and very pretty, but at the same time she was wrapped up in the high society lifestyle. So when she asked him if they could see each other again he let her know he wasn't looking for anything and that he wouldn't be able to provide her the life she was used to. She accept his reasons but still asked to stay in touch because she wasn't used to having friends that she could cut loose and just have fun with. Natsu had told her that he would, and wrote to her yesterday.

' _I should ask Warren for one of his communication devices'_ Natsu thought to himself. ' _They seem handy when trying to stay in touch with someone.'_

Natsu was drawn out of his thoughts when he saw that Hargeon was coming up. One of the rich man's guards said they'd tell the rune knights about the bandits they had tied up, so Natsu had to stay with the man the whole way. He was forced to listen to how great this man thought he was and how much money he made yearly and blah blah blah. What was it with really rich people that all they cared about was money?

Natsu saw the dock where the man's boat was docked and sighed in relief. He was as polite as he could be to the man, while ignoring half of what he said, and he wasn't used to doing it for so long. But the man was paying him 200,000 Jewel just to escort him, so Natsu figured he could tough it out.

"Well Mr. Dragneel, it was a pleasure" The man said as he extended his hand.

"The pleasure's all mine sir" Natsu said back. ' _Thank Mavis for those manners lessons the Strauss girls keep putting me through.'_

"I hope to work with you in the future. A man of your reputation is exactly who I need to protect me. I am a very important man after all" The man said as he turned to board the ship.

' _My reputation? I thought my reputation was "destroyer of everything."'_ Natsu thought to himself.

"It would be nice to see you again. Later" Natsu said as he turned to the aide for his money and then was on his way.

"Alright! Now to head home so I can get some real exercise and maybe get some more work done on The Project!" Natsu cheered as he left the docks. He and Happy had taken to calling the house "The Project" because they realized word had spread that they were up to something and everyone was listening to their conversations. They even do it when alone now to be on the safe side.

It was then Natsu realized that he could walk home and get there tomorrow or take the tra…. Just thinking about it made him queasy. But he wanted to get a good start on the house before he was whisked away on another job, so he'd take the metal deathtrap. He went to purchase his ticket and waited for the train by the tracks. He was thinking about what he'd get done when he got back when he felt someone staring at him. He looked around and saw a trio staring at him intently. Once they realized they were caught they all looked away quickly.

"Uh...hi?" Natsu said, unsure why they were looking at him so intently.

"Y-You're…. Natsu Dragneel right?" the girl of the group asked timidly.

"Yep!" Natsu chirped with a grin. "That's me!"

"I told you!" one of the guys said to the other two as they made their way over. "You can tell by the hair and the scaled scarf! He's the real deal!"

"Sorry Mr. Salamander sir" the other guy began. "My friends and I are big fans and we didn't want to bother you, but could we maybe get an autograph or a picture?"

"No need to be sorry" Natsu said with a smile. "I didn't even know I had fans outside of Magnolia. But I'd be glad to take a picture with you guys." The three cheered at this.

"Of course you have fans outside of Magnolia!" the girl cried happily. "You're the man that defeated the Black Wizard Zeref! Everyone knows who you are! Plus how you manhandled the Twin Dragons in your first Grand Magic Games and beat everyone in the stadium in your second! How could you not think you had fans?!"

"Oh….uh….I don't know" Natsu said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. The four posed for a camera that the girl got one of the workers to hold and took a couple of pictures as a group and individually with Natsu.

"Thank you so~ much Salamander!" the first guy said. "My name is Brian, and with these pictures we can show the other fans of yours in Hargeon that you do come visit sometimes!"

"Oh...Uh...Yeah, no problem" Natsu said not really knowing how to respond. Then he heard the conductor call for his train. "Well I gotta head back to the guild. I'll see yah around!"

"Bye Salamander!" the three chorused as Natsu boarded the train with a wave.

"Well that was weird, but I'm glad I could make them happy" Natsu said to himself. He found a train car he had to himself and sprawled out on one of the seats, trying to fall asleep before the train departed. Unfortunately, just as he got comfortable, the train took off. So for the two hour train ride Natsu was a groaning mess.

When he arrived back in Magnolia he flung himself out of the train and laid on the ground for a few minutes until he felt his energy come back.

"I'M ALIVE" Natsu shouted as he sprang up, which caused a few people to look his way, but most were used to it by now. He's been doing it for 13 years. Well, 20 for the citizens even if he was asleep for 7.

"Time to go see how everyone's doing at the guild, then I'm heading home for some training before bed" Natsu said to himself as he walked towards the guild. He kicked the doors open and quickly had to dodge a beer bottle that came flying at his face. Looks like a brawl was in full swing.

"Aw c'mon! You guys didn't wait for me?" Natsu whined before jumping into the fray. After thirty minutes, the brawl died down. Natsu was surprised Erza let it go on for so long, then realized he didn't smell her in the guild. ' _That makes sense'_ Natsu thought as he went up to the bar to order some food.

"Welcome back Natsu!" Kinana said happily. Mira had taken a mission with her siblings so Kinana was left in charge for the day.

"Hey Kinana!" Natsu said with a smile. "Mission was boring. No real action until I got here. Then I got to have some fun!"

"Glad the guild was able to make your day better Natsu" Kinana said with a smile.

"Being here always does" Natsu said with a smile. "Can I get some dinner?"

"Fire chicken with waffle fries and a whiskey?" Kinana asked.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu cheered, making Kinana and Lucy giggle, who had just walked up to talk to Natsu.

"Hey Natsu" Lucy said as she sat down next to him.

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu chirped. "Haven't seen yah in awhile, whatcha been up to?"

"Well that's because you've only come to the guild three or four times since we started our break" Lucy said plainly. "Everyone's actually wondering what _you've_ been up to. Everyone's talking about your super secret project."

"Why's everyone gotta be so nosy" Natsu pouted as he put his head on the bar. "It's not like they don't do things outside of the guild."

"Oh so it doesn't have to do with pranking someone?" Lucy asked skeptically.

"Hmm?" Natsu replied as he saw Kinana exit the kitchen with his food. Lucy rolled her eyes after she saw where Natsu's attention was.

"Natsu" Lucy said only to get ignored as Natsu looked like….yep. He started drooling.

"Here you go Natsu" Kinana said with a smile. "Two plates full of fire chicken and waffle fries."

"Thanks!" Natsu said as he dug right in, causing Lucy to move over a stool so she wouldn't get hit in the crossfire.

"Natsu" Lucy tried again. Natsu stopped eating to look at Lucy with his mouth full.

He swallowed and asked, "yeah Lucy?"

"I asked you if your project was a prank" Lucy said trying to remain calm. She didn't like being ignored and for some reason when Natsu did it, she got mad very quickly.

"Oh" Natsu said. ' _They think it's a prank? That could work.'_ "Uh….It might be?"

"Might?" Lucy asked. "Do you not know?"

"Umm…. I can't tell you Lucy. It'll ruin the surprise" Natsu said seriously before turning back to his food and inhaling a good amount.

"Okay~ then" Lucy said. "Well how have you been? You haven't even been coming around my apartment lately. I was starting to get worried."

"Oh" Natsu said as he swallowed. "You have a boyfriend now. I figured he wouldn't like it if I was around so much, so I gave you some space. Wouldn't want to be the reason you and your first serious boyfriend fight."

Lucy was touched. Yeah, she missed seeing Natsu and Happy, but that they were staying away so she could be happy was extremely nice. And almost unlike Natsu. With that last thought she became suspicious.

"Was that what Mira told you to do?" Lucy asked him, watching him closely.

Natsu was confused. He thought she'd be happy he decided to let her live her life a little. "What? Why would Mira tell me that?"

"It just doesn't seem like something you would voluntarily do" Lucy said honestly.

"Oh" Natsu said as he looked at his food.

"Sorry Natsu, that was mean" Lucy said quickly as she saw how Natsu reacted to that.

"It's fine. I guess it wasn't like me huh?" Natsu said with a slight chuckle, trying to hide how he felt. Why did everyone seem to think he only cared about himself? Was he really that bad?

"No Natsu" Lucy said. "I'm sorry. It was something _you_ would do for a friend. I just didn't expect it and made it into something bad. I'm happy you care about my relationship working out."

"Well of course I do weirdo" Natsu said. "If he makes you happy then I'm all for it. But if he hurts you just come to me….I'll make sure he doesn't do whatever it is again." He finished with an evil grin that made Lucy sweatdrop.

She put her hand on his arm and said, "thank you, Natsu, for always looking out for me."

"Course I'd look out for yah" Natsu said with a smile. "We're partners after all!"

"Yeah" Lucy said with a small smile. "We're partners. Well I have a date to get ready for. I'll talk to you later Natsu. Drop by the guild more often if you're still going to work on your project."

"I'll try Lucy" Natsu said. "You know how I can get tunnel vision"

"Yeah" Lucy laughed. "And not always for good things. Goodnight Natsu."

"Night Lucy."

"That was sweet Natsu" Kinana said as she came over to take his plates.

"What was?" Natsu asked as he swirled his cup.

"You saying how you would look out for Lucy" Kinana replied.

"Oh, well of course!" Natsu said. "I'd look out for any of the girls in the guild like that if they asked. Lucy just doesn't get a choice because we're teammates."

This got Kinana to laugh as Natsu grinned. "Well I wouldn't mind knowing someone cared about me that much."

"Whatcha talkin about Kinana? I care about you just as much, and I'll always be here for you" Natsu said earnestly. This caused Kinana to blush slightly.

"O-oh. Th-thank you Natsu" Kinana stammered.

"Don't mention it" Natsu said as he downed his glass and turned to look for Happy.

"Lookin for Happy?" a voice called over to Natsu from a few stools down.

"Yeah, how'd you know Cana?" Natsu asked as he turned to her.

"You two've been leaving before it gets dark every time you come to the guild. It's when everyone says you go work on your project" Cana said with a shrug.

"Oh. Not today. I'm gonna go get some training in before dinner and was gonna ask if Happy wanted to come" Natsu said.

"He left on a mission with Charle and Wendy around lunch. They said it wouldn't take that long" Kinana said as she appeared bringing Cana a new mug of beer.

"Oh okay. Thanks Kinana" Natsu said with a smile.

"No problem Natsu" Kinana said as she went to go take some other members' orders.

"Guess I'm heading home to train then. See yah later Cana" Natsu said as he got up.

"Later Dragon Boy" Cana called as she went back to her drinking.

Natsu got back to his house and walked for fifteen minutes until he reached a clearing that looked like a bomb had gone off. Mainly because one had. Natsu had been using this area as his training ground for years on and off, but he began using it again recently so he wouldn't go too far from his project. He readied himself and took a deep breath and let it out slowly getting in the right mindset.

" **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack"** Natsu chanted as he swung his arms causing fire to go speeding into the cliffside that was at the far end of the clearing. What little vegetation there still was immediately caught fire. This is what Natsu had been waiting for.

' _Concentrate'_ Natsu thought to himself as he closed his eyes and held out his hands towards the flames. He felt something give inside of him and then the fire began flying into the air at Natsu's chest height.

' _Now force it into a ball'_ Natsu thought. But that was all it took to lose control of the flame. It made a small movement into a ball before it burst and the fire scattered.

"AGH! I thought I had it that time!" Natsu yelled in frustration. He calmed himself down with deep breaths and tried again. This time he got it to condense a little bit more before it burst again. "Dammit!"

Natsu stopped and waited for the fire to burn out as he relaxed and caught his breath. Who knew concentrating on moving things with your mind would take this much effort? No wonder Erza always beat him before. She had much better control over her magic than he did.

"Alright. This time, I'll try just to get it to fly around. Maybe like one of those Eastern dragons" Natsu said before taking a deep breath and chanting, " **Fire Dragon's Roar."**

He watched as his fire cut through the clearing and caught some of the trees on the edge of the clearing on fire. He had been hoping that wouldn't happen since more flames meant it would be harder. ' _Shouldn't have used my Roar'_ Natsu thought before he closed his eyes again and concentrated on lifting the fire up.

He got all of the fire up to his shoulder height, and tried to swing it around in an infinity symbol. While he did this, though, he noticed a portion of the fire flickered off the main body and fizzled out since it had no fuel left. He made the fire do some more shapes and figures until he had a very small bit leftover. Natsu sent that bit skyward before releasing his magic and allowing the fire to flicker out of existence.

"Well that was new" Natsu panted. He hadn't noticed the fire breaking off before. But then again, that was the longest he managed to have the fire do what he wanted. He was almost out of magic when an idea struck him.

"What if I could move my Roar!" Natsu said excitedly. This would help him lower the damage he does on missions and during fights since if he missed he could send his Roar back towards his opponent.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar"** Natsu chanted as he fired his roar skyward. He began concentrating immediately and used both hands out to try and visualize grabbing and holding the fire. Just as he started to see his Roar slow down, his vision blurred and he nearly collapsed.

"Okay…*pant*...*pant*...Nex….next time….I won't try that….*pant*...*pant*...when I'm exhausted" Natsu panted as he fell onto his back and stared up at the sky. The sun was just starting to set, so Natsu got to watch and see all of the colors of the sky as night fell. Just before the sun actually set, Natsu got himself up and made his way back home. He had some fish in his icebox that he wanted to heat up for dinner before he got cleaned up for bed. As he got to the cabin he got a whiff of a few scents. ' _Oh, I guess Wendy and Charle came to visit'_ Natsu thought as he made his way inside. He saw the three sitting on the couch talking about their mission. They all turned to look at Natsu and had smiles before they got a good look at him.

"Natsu!" Wendy cried as she got up and immediately began healing him.

"What's up guys?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"What happened Natsu?" Happy asked as he flew over and started inspecting Natsu. Natsu frowned at this and began to look at himself, apparently when he fell there were some sharp pieces of destroyed rock. Him dragging himself across them before finally getting up must've caused him to get all scraped up.

"Oh I was just training" Natsu said simply as Wendy moved back.

"It just looked a lot worse than it was" Wendy said with a sigh of relief. "You'll be fine in the morning."

"Heh. I knew that" Natsu said sheepishly. "But thanks Wendy."

"You're welcome Natsu" Wendy said sweetly.

"We brought dinner, but it looks like you need to wash up first" Charle said disapprovingly at Natsu's current look.

"Oh cool!" Natsu cheered as he rubbed his hands together. "I was going to heat up some fish, but let's see what we got!"

"Shower first!" Charle exclaimed as Natsu reached towards the bags. Natsu pouted in response.

"But-" he said.

"No. Shower" Charle demanded as she pointed to the bathroom.

"Fine" Natsu pouted as he grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom.

After 15 minutes Natsu re-emerged in sport shorts and a loose fitted t-shirt.

"Now let's eat!" Natsu said as he ran over to sit down at the table with the other three.

"We didn't know what you would want, so Happy said we should get a little bit of everything from Fairy Tail" Wendy said as she began opening some of the containers.

"Wow, thanks guys!" Natsu said excitedly before leaning towards Happy. "You put it on our tab right?"

"Of course" Happy whispered back. Natsu nodded at this and let everyone else make their own plates before he took his portion, which was large.

"Kinana's really outdone herself tonight" Charle commented as she had a few bites of the things on her plate.

"Mhm" Wendy agreed. "Kinana's always been a good cook but it feels like this is better than usual."

"Huh" Natsu said after he slurped up some noodles, much to the disgust of Charle. "I wonder why."

"Who knows" Happy said as he ate his shrimp scampi.

"Oh well. It's too good to worry about the why!" Natsu cried as he went back to eating quickly.

"Can't you eat more like a human?" Charle asked after watching him for too long as she deemed it.

"Oh….Sorry. I got excited since I was so hungry after training" Natsu said sheepishly as he began eating with good table manners. To say this shocked the two women present would be an understatement. Natsu looked up and saw Wendy and Charle gawking at him. "What's up with you guys?"

"I think this is their first time seeing you eat with manners" Happy said simply. Both girls nodded at this and then closed their mouths.

"Why don't you eat like that all the time?" Charle asked after Natsu put his utensils down to help himself to another portion.

"Any time I do anything different than how I normally do, everyone asks if something's wrong" Natsu said as he filled his plate again. "It got annoying so I just went back to how I used to eat before the manners lessons at the Strauss house."

"Oh" the girls said simply before going back to their own food. Both realized that Natsu had a secret side to him that they had only caught glimpses of before. Mainly when giving Wendy advice, but now they both came to the idea of finding out how different this side was.

"What else did they teach you?" Wendy asked.

"Hmm" Natsu hummed. "Anything that would be normal to do on a date."

"A date? Why?" Charle asked.

"I think Mira believed that Lisanna and I would go on a date sooner or later" Natsu said with a smile. "So to prevent me from embarrassing her, she beat proper date etiquette into my head."

"And he _means_ beat. Mira would hit him _hard_ if he got something wrong during their lessons" Happy added from his spot. Both girls sweatdropped at this.

"But anyway" Natsu said as he didn't want to go down those memories tonight. "How was your mission?"

"Oh!" Wendy said excitedly, which made Natsu smile. "It was good! We were just helping an older person out around their house, but they were so happy when we were done it made us happy too!"

"Oh yeah?" Natsu asked. "And what kind of things did you do?"

For the rest of their visit, Wendy and Charle described the few missions the two had been taking recently. Natsu found out that they did small missions with Erza sometimes since Wendy looked up to her so much and wanted to be a strong woman like her. He also found out that Wendy had been doing a mission every couple of days and that each one went without a hitch. This made Natsu smile as he saw just how much Wendy was growing up.

In his head, Natsu compared the Wendy he met from Cait Shelter to the Wendy in front of him and he was so proud of her. She really came out of her shell at Fairy Tail and, especially for her age, she became very powerful. He couldn't wait to see how she developed as she got older. He saw her as his younger sister and wanted the best for her. In Wendy's eyes, that was becoming someone strong and dependable like Erza or Natsu himself, and Natsu hoped she got everything she wished for.

After they finished eating, the group moved on to board games with Wendy and Charle still going over their thoughts on the different missions and goings-on of the guild. When they left, Wendy asked Natsu to come to the guild more often so they could hang out, to which Natsu agreed. They bid each other goodnight and Wendy and Charle made their way home. Natsu got into his hammock after doing his nightly ritual and thought about just how much he loved everyone in Fairy Tail and that he would have to go to the guild more often so they didn't think he was ignoring them. With that thought he rolled over and went to sleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed! It's going to be a bit of a slower story, but I want to do the characters justice and not rush into things. Sometimes I think that's worse than the slow burns. Please review as I like to read them and will take them into consideration!**

 **See yah Next chapter**


	5. A New Day

**Guy2506- Thanks for the review! I'm not sure about a pairing yet, but I'll keep it in mind.**

 **Ashborn2271- Thanks for the review! In what way? I'd like to hear more of what you think.**

 **DragonFire44- Thanks for the review! I always liked the idea of the dragon slayers being close ini secret. Also I think you'll like this chapter. My girlfriend said I should give other perspectives too, so I started that in this story. I realize it makes the story a bit better when you can see how others react.**

 **Hiro Mashima Owns Fairy Tail and it's characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

Wendy woke up the next morning in good spirits. She hasn't been able to spend time with Natsu lately and it was beginning to get to her. She had seen him at least once a week since they'd been back from the Hundred Year Quest.

She smiled at that. Natsu took it upon himself since he met her to help train her in Dragon Slaying Magic, even going so far as to teach her some of his spells. What seemed to shock most people is he also tried to help her out in her day to day life. He was almost always the butt of the joke in the guild, and to hear he was doing something "smart" didn't sit well with the guild members for whatever reason.

She didn't know he only used his manners when with her because everyone else saw it as something wrong. He was trying to grow and mature, but they all just saw the thick-headed kid he was. Wendy frowned. Even Charle was hard on Natsu, when she'd been around him just as much as Wendy and knew he was trying to change.

"Hey Charle?" Wendy asked as she stretched.

"Yes Wendy?" Charle asked as she changed her clothes.

"Why do you think everyone's so mean to Natsu?" Wendy asked.

"Hmm. Well they don't get to see the sides of him that you and I do" Charle said thoughtfully. "He also acts like an idiot often enough to try to make others happy so that's what they want to see. Not many of the guild members seem to like change, and they have unwavering faith in Natsu's strength, but they want him to stay the bull-headed boy they've always known."

"But that's not fair" Wendy said quietly. "On our missions together, the others treat Natsu just as the muscle, and ignore everything he tries to add. He just wants to be treated like everyone else. The business with Zeref being his brother really messed with his head."

"Right" Charle said. "He wasn't sure the guild would react well to finding out he was a demon made by Zeref, or that he was really Zeref's brother. Which turned out to be well-founded as they avoided him for a week or two before Mirajane scolded them."

"Yeah" Wendy said sadly. "It was obvious how sad he was that no one wanted to be near him except the team, Mirajane, Lisanna, Laxus, and Master. I think Gajeel was talking to him too, but they've never really talked in the guild before."

"You think they meet up somewhere to talk?" Charle asked.

"Mhm" Wendy nodded. "Every so often they'd come to the guild smelling faintly of each other. I asked Natsu and he said they go hang out at a bar together sometimes or spar."

"Oh. Are they embarrassed by that?" Charle asked with a smile.

"HEEHEE. I guess so" Wendy giggled. "They don't really like sharing how they feel and stuff with other people."

"That might be part of the problem" Charle said seriously. "If Natsu told everyone how they were making him feel, maybe they'd change their minds about him."

"Maybe" Wendy said as she looked out the window. "But he's tried that before."

"He has?" Charle asked.

"Yeah. He told Mira he was tired of being seen as the 'village idiot' as he put in and asked her if she could help. She was sympathetic and tried to help, but no one listened to her either. Now she's just there to listen to Natsu when he's upset."

"Oh. Maybe the solution isn't that simple then" Charle said simply. "Well anyway, let's get to town. Lucy and Erza said we'd be going shopping right?"

"Yeah!" Wendy said as she cheered up and threw on her yellow dress and ran to the door. She wanted to get to the common area so she could eat something for breakfast and head out. ' _Lucy and Erza said they'd help me find a new look! I can't wait!'_ She thought to herself. Her and Charle headed out to meet the two older girls at the fountain in the center of town. She saw the two and approached them.

Wendy was about to yell out a greeting when she heard Lucy say, "I think I hurt his feelings yesterday because of that."

' _Lucy hurt someone's feelings?'_ Wendy thought to herself.

"I wouldn't worry. Natsu isn't easily brought down" Erza said in reply.

' _Oh'_ Wendy thought sadly. They did or said something mean to Natsu again. It now makes sense why he was over enthusiastic yesterday when they were hanging out. He was still upset.

"I just….I'm not used to anyone going so far to make me happy and I kinda got….suspicious. But it was _totally_ something Natsu would do for a friend and I twisted it to seem like a negative. I just hope he's okay" Lucy said as she looked around and noticed Wendy walking up to them. "Wendy! Over here!"

"Good morning" Wendy said with a smile to the two girls.

"Good morning Wendy, Charle" the others chorused.

"Good morning" Charle said, also smiling.

"You ready to shop?" Lucy asked enthusiastically.

"Y-Yeah. I wouldn't mind a new look" Wendy said lowly.

"You don't _have_ to change your full look Wendy" Charle said. "But it would be nice to have a couple of styles for if/when you feel you need one."

"Mhm" Erza agreed. "You current style suits you. But we'll help you pick out new clothes that we think will look good on you."

"And maybe we can get a certain _someone's_ attention?" Lucy said with a sly smile.

"Ah! No! It's not….I mean…." Wendy stammered, her cheeks ablaze.

"Relax Wendy, I was just teasing" Lucy said with a laugh. Wendy took a deep breath with her hand over her heart.

"Okay, then let's go!" Erza said happily as the trio made their way to a store that was close by.

 **(Elsewhere)**

Natsu has just finished his morning exercises. He was stretching to get the blood flowing freely throughout his body as he made his way to a pond close by. ' _Let's catch some breakfast'_ Natsu thought to himself. He had promised Wendy that he'd come to the guild today, but he had to put some work in first. He had almost the whole floor down for the first floor. He finished the stairs to the basement two days ago.

"If I can finish the putting the plywood down today I'll be happy" Natsu said with a smile as his fishing rod bent down. Natsu pulled up to set the hook in the fish's mouth, and then started pulling it in. Out came a nice sized trout.

"Awesome! Just a couple more and breakfast will be served!" Natsu cheered. For the next thirty minutes Natsu fished and managed to catch 3 more.

"I'm sure Happy's waking up from his cat nap right about now" Natsu said to himself. "Alright, let's start making breakfast!"

Natsu looked at his new housing footprint and could almost imagine what the new kitchen would look like. He was looking forward to trying it out, or trying anything out in the new house for that matter.

"Too bad I couldn't try my fire control spells today, but if I did I don't think I'd have made it out today" Natsu said to himself as he entered the house.

"Morning Natsu!" Happy said as he got up and saw Natsu holding his favorite food.

"Mornin Happy!" Natsu said as he walked over to the kitchen area and set the fish down before throwing some logs on the fire.

"Did you do the fire thing?" Happy asked as he flew over a grabbed on of the trout.

"Nah. Not today. Promised Wendy I'd go to the guild around noon so I didn't want to get too tired ya know?" Natsu asked as he grabbed his two fish and wrapped them in tin foil before putting them on a wire shelf above the flames.

"Aye!" Happy said. "Wendy's been missing you lately."

"Yeah I know buddy" Natsu said. "That's why I'm gonna try harder to be there for her."

Happy smiled at this. He knew how much the dragon slayers cared for each other, even if two didn't show it.

"I was thinking of getting something for her actually" Natsu said as he grabbed his fish.

"Oh? Like what?" Happy asked, very interested. Natsu usually have good gifts if he gave some.

"Not telling. You'll probably tell her by accident" Natsu teased.

"I'm not that bad!" Happy cried.

"Sorry bud, but you can be. Especially when around Wendy and Charle" Natsu said as he finished his first fish.

Happy threw his fish bones away and huffed. He knew Natsu was teasing him, but he also knew that he did have a tendency to tell Wendy and Charle all of the secrets he knows. He has been able to keep some to himself, like how he knew Natsu had a small crush on Lucy for awhile.

"Hey Natsu?" Happy said.

"What's up Happy?" Natsu asked as he got up to throw out his fish bones.

"Are you going to try dating anyone?" Happy asked.

"Hmm?" Natsu hummed. "Not anytime soon. At least not until the house is done. Then I'd have a nice place to show them."

"Oh, okay" Happy said as he landed on Natsu's head.

"Why the sudden question?" Natsu asked as he made his way towards the new house.

"I was just wondering since Lucy's got a boyfriend and all" Happy said as they arrived and he flew to get the tools from the basement.

"Thanks Happy" Natsu said as he grabbed the hammer and bucket of nails from Happy. "But you don't gotta worry. I knew she'd end up with someone else sooner or later. I just couldn't work up the courage to ask her myself."

"I know Natsu. But it still upset you enough for you to want to stop going to her house" Happy said as he "helped" Natsu carry a board of plywood.

"Well I did that because I was upset, yeah. But also because I knew her boyfriend wouldn't want us hanging out as much and us showing up at her place unannounced" Natsu said as he set the board and began nailing it down. "Wanna mark out the rooms with the black paint for me buddy? I might try to get some studs up today too."

"Aye sir!" Happy cried as he flew back downstairs to get the paint and the prints.

They spent the next few hours working. Happy marked out the whole first floor after Natsu got the plywood all down. The two then put the outside wall studs up with a piece of plywood down low where the floor was to help sturdy the studs.

"Whew. That was a lot of work!" Natsu said happily. They got a lot more done than he'd hoped.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered, even though he was tired.

"Let's go wash up and head to the guild. I think we're late for our meetup" Natsu said as Happy plopped down on his head and they ran back home to wash themselves off quickly then head to the guild.

"I wonder how shopping with Erza and Lucy went" Natsu thought out loud.

"They do have good taste in style, so I'd guess good. Plus Charle is there and she's the best at everything!" Happy said excitedly.

"HAHAHA calm down there Happy" Natsu laughed. "I know you're happy about being with Charle, but there's gotta be something she's not the best at."

"I guess" Happy said thoughtfully.

"Well let's see what's goin on at the guild" Natsu said. "Race yah?"

"Aye sir!" Happy responded happily as the two got ready.

"Ready? 3….2….1…..Go!" Natsu said as he and Happy took off.

" **Max Speed"** Happy said as he began flying down the street toward the guild.

"Oh right off the bat huh?" Natsu said with a chuckle. "Then I'll do this!"

" **Fire Dragon's Rocket Booster"** Natsu said as he lit his hands on fire and pointed them behind him. It wasn't enough as Happy had a few seconds head start and reached Fairy Tail first.

"I win!" Happy cheered as Natsu came running in the doors behind him.

"Yeah, yeah" Natsu waved him off. "I didn't know it was gonna be a magic race."

"That was your fault Natsu!" Happy laughed. After that they noticed others were smiling at them.

"Hey everyone!" Natsu said with a wave, then made his way to the bar. Most replied with a "Hey" then went back to what they were doing. Natsu went up to the bar and ordered some food before sitting down at a table nearby. He could tell Wendy wasn't here yet, which was odd. She was almost never late to anything.

 **(With Wendy)**

"I-I don't know if this is really for me" Wendy said as she was dressed in something Lucy would wear.

"I agree" Charle said. "You look much better in those jeans and T-shirt's we looked at earlier."

"I'll admit you're right, I just wanted to see if she could pull it off" Lucy said, nodding.

"Let's check out then" Erza said.

"Yeah! Natsu said he'd meet me at the guild for lunch!" Wendy said as they made their way.

"Oh? And what time would lunch be?" Erza asked as they put their things on the register.

"Noon" Wendy said.

"That was almost an hour ago Wendy" Charle said, slightly shocked they were shopping for so long.

"What?" Wendy cried out. "How could we have been out that long?"

"It's alright" Lucy said with a smile. "He was working on his project today I'm sure, so there's a good chance he's late too."

"But what if he wasn't?" Wendy asked sadly. "He promised me he'd take the morning easy to make sure he'd be on time, but now I'm the one that's late."

"I'm positive Natsu just recently got to the guild, has ordered you food, and is waiting for you patiently" Erza said with a smile.

"Yeah" Wendy said, feeling a little better.

"But let's not make a habit of being late" Charle said.

"Right" Wendy nodded. The two older girls smiled at this. Wendy was always such a good girl, and now she's growing up right before their eyes. She's taking more responsibility and is transitioning into a teenager now that times are peaceful again.

"Alright that'll be 2000 Jewel" the clerk said after ringing them up.

"Okay" Erza said and handed over the money which made both Lucy and Wendy squeak in protest. "What?"

"We all had clothes in that pile!" Lucy said while Wendy nodded in agreement. "We should have split the bill!"

"It's fine. Consider them early birthday gifts" Erza said with a warm smile.

"Can't argue with that I guess" Charle said while shaking her head.

"I guess" Lucy muttered. "Well I have to go meet up with Dan. I'll see you later!"

"Bye Lucy!" They chorused as they made their way back to the guild.

"Say Erza…" Wendy said as they walked.

"Yes Wendy?" Erza said as she looked down st the girl.

"I was wondering why everyone treats Natsu so badly" Wendy said lowly. So lowly Erza could just barely make it out.

"What do you mean? No one treats Natsu badly" Erza said confused as to why Wendy was asking.

"It's just….everyone acts like he's really dumb, but he's not. And he's says when he tries to change how people look at him, everyone just asks him if something's wrong. Like if Natsu isn't being an idiot to cheer someone up, then he isn't Natsu" Wendy said as she looked at the ground.

Erza stopped walking and thought back. She didn't remember anyone treating Natsu like that in the guild. They all treated him how they've always treated him. Except Mira. She seems to be talking to him more often and trading advice. Erza secretly thought that maybe Mira had a crush on the Dragon Slayer. But back to the point….she saw no one treating Natsu badly in her memories.

"I don't know what you mean Wendy" Erza said honestly. "I think everyone's been treating him as they always have."

"That's part of the problem" Charle said. "Natsu has changed like everyone else has. Just no one seems to want to admit that."

Erza was shocked. She didn't understand where this was coming from, or why they brought it up now.

"Where is this coming from?" Erza asked.

"Natsu was pretty upset yesterday when we saw him and we didn't know why until we overheard what Lucy was telling you. Everyone is always making fun of Natsu, and it may be in good fun, but there are times when it becomes too much" Charle said as Wendy nodded along.

"Natsu's generally very good at hiding how he feels about something, but he's been slipping recently" Wendy said. "I've seen how upset he gets about certain things for a little before he covers himself with his grin or laugh."

"I haven't noticed anything wrong" Erza said as she thought back. "But I'll look out for it more in the future."

"Thanks Erza" Wendy beamed.

"Of course, Wendy" Erza said with a smile.

The trio made it to the guild in very little time with their shopping bags. Erza bade the two goodbye and said she'd be back after dropping her stuff off at her room. Wendy walked inside and immediately began looking around for a mop of pink hair. She found Natsu lazing on a table by the bar. As she made her way over, she saw Kinana and Mira dropping off food at Natsu's table. This made Wendy smile as she smelt her favorite food; tonkatsu. Her stomach growled loudly and she heard natsu begin to laugh as he called out to her.

"Come eat Wendy, I know how much shopping with those two can take out of yah."

"I-it wasn't that bad" Wendy defended as she made her way over and sat down in front of her plate. "They were a big help."

"If you say so" Natsu said with a grin before turning back to his ramen. Happy offered Charle a fish to share, which she said no to. She did take the tea he made her with a smile though.

"So whatcha get Wendy?" Natsu asked curious. He was told Wendy wanted to change her look a bit, but Natsu didn't understand the reason.

"Just some more jeans and t-shirts and tank tops" Wendy said as she pulled some of the clothes out.

"Oh, I like the colors you chose" Natsu said as he saw a red and a maroon shirt.

"Thanks" Wendy beamed, happy that Natsu approved of her new clothes.

"So Wendy, wanna go on a mission soon?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"Yes!" Wendy said quickly. She missed going on jobs with Natsu. She missed his company and he helped her motion sickness, making it at least bearable.

"Awesome!" Natsu cheered. "Next week I'll let you pick one out."

"Okay" Wendy said with a smile. "Charle…."

"Yeah, they flew somewhere after Charle finished her tea" Natsu said and pointed to the two Exceeds up in the rafters.

"Oh" Wendy said.

"Yeah, they fly up there often I'm guessing" Natsu said and Wendy nodded.

"Almost everyday they fly off somewhere for a little bit. I guess that's where" Wendy said with a smile. She had known for awhile that Charle returned Happy's feelings and was ecstatic when she finally caved to him. The two smiled at their partner's happiness and then began talking about their jobs.

 **(With Erza)**

' _I didn't know Natsu was upset at how we were treating him'_ Erza thought as she made her way to Fairy Hills. ' _Maybe I'll keep a closer eye on him to see if something really is bothering him.'_

"Maybe I'll ask Mira to see if Wendy was right or if she was seeing things" Erza said to herself as she opened the door to her room. "I still think Mira has a crush on Natsu. I've somewhat suspected it for awhile, but only recently has she begun to act on it. Maybe I can help them get together!"

Erza placed her new clothes in her closet. "Oh, but what about Lisanna? It was obvious she had feelings for Natsu before she disappeared. I wonder if she still has feelings for him. I'll get to the bottom of this and help them all out."

Erza then began to clean some of her armors that she used recently. "I always thought Natsu had feelings for Lucy, but he doesn't seem upset that she's with someone else. Lucy was surprised as well, but was glad no drama came about due to her relationship. Maybe he does like one of the Strauss sisters. Or maybe someone from another guild? Hm. I guess Wendy was right, Natsu does hide his emotions well."

 **(Back in Fairy Tail)**

"Alright Wendy, I'm gonna grab a drink and head home. I think Happy's gonna want to stay at your place tonight if that's okay" Natsu said.

"Yeah of course!" Wendy said happily. "I know they want to spend more time together."

"Great Wendy" Natsu said with a soft smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Natsu!" Wendy said with a smile.

"Hey Mira" Natsu said as he got to the bar.

"Hey Natsu, what can I do for you?" Mira said with a smile.

"Can I have a bottle of fire Whiskey to go?" Natsu asked.

"Oh, not sticking around for dinner?" Mira asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna go exercise some then head to bed. I'm gonna grab a mission tomorrow I think" Natsu said.

"Oh, okay" Mira said. "Just let me know what mission you take so I can let the client know."

"Will do Mira. Thanks for the fire whiskey, bye" Natsu said as he turned to walk out.

"Goodnight Natsu!" Mira called. He waved over his shoulder, which made her smile again.

"Oh~" Mira heard from down the bar a bit.

"Oh, hey Cana. Need a refill?" Mira asked.

"No, I'm just wondering when you developed feelings for our resident pyro" Cana said with a smirk.

"What? I don't have feelings for Natsu like that!" Mira defended.

"Sure, sure" Cana said with a smirk before she went back to drinking.

"I don't. He should be with Lisanna...or Lucy if her relationship ends" Mira said.

"Yeah, sure" Cana said as she grabbed a bottle of wine.

Mira sighed. She did have a crush on the Dragon slayer at one time, but she couldn't be sure if she still felt that way.

"Gihi" Gajeel laughed as he came over. "Says the girl that went on a date with the Salamander."

"What?!" Mira exclaimed, shocked. Cana blushed up a storm.

"I-I d-don't know what you're talking about" Cana defended before chugging out of the bottle. Mira's eyes widened at that. Cana _never_ stutters.

"Gihi" Gajeel laughed out.

"You _have_ to spill! Oh, why didn't anyone tell me before?" Mira cried out with hearts in her eyes.

"I'm not saying any more" Gajeel said as he grabbed some silverware before Mira slapped them out of his hand with a glare. "Salamander's probably already gonna be pissed when he finds out I spilled."

"I can't believe he told you about that" Cana grumbled lowly, but Gajeel heard her.

"He wouldn't until I got him incredibly drunk" Gajeel said as he flipped a piece of metal into his mouth. Both girls looked at him, shocked. "What?"

"Natsu can get drunk?" Cana asked. As far as she or anyone else in Fairy Tail knew, Natsu couldn't get drunk. He just burned the alcohol out of his system.

"Oh he can. It just takes a lot of alcohol in a short amount of time. Took me weeks to get a pile big enough to do that" Gajeel said. "He spilled all types of things that he wouldn't have any other way."

"Like?" Mira said hopefully.

"Gihi, like I would give out information for free. You got enough today" Gajeel said.

Mira then turned her full attention to Cana, which made Cana seat.

"I just remembered I have a job to get started" Cana said as she tried to get up and run away only to find she couldn't. She slowly turned her head and saw Mira had her by the knot of her bikini top. "You wouldn't" she said, horrified.

"Try me" Mira said sweetly. Cana immediately stopped and sat back down, sighing in defeat.

"Fine, I'll tell you" Cana said with her head on the counter.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Pushing the Limits! Please review and let me know what you like or if you have any constructive criticism! I always thought the story would be a bit better if there were some relationships under wraps or attempts at them, so I'm going to explore that some more.**

 **See yah next chapter!**


	6. A Challenge

**I felt inspired so here's a new chapter.**

 **Smo21- Thanks for the review! It made me laugh and helped me sped this one through.**

 **Nise no Kishi- Thanks for the review! You could always give your ideas to me if you wanted to. I will put it up to a poll later on I'm thinking.**

 **Hiro Mashima Owns Fairy Tail and it's characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

"Natsu and I went on a date after the Grand Magic Games" Cana said slowly. "We went out in Hargeon so none of our lovely guild mates would see. Natsu even willingly got on the train. We were there and I gotta say, the date went really well! The night ended with us having a few drinks and he walked me back to the dorms."

"Wow" Mira sighed dreamily. "And the date went well how?"

"We found we had a lot in common, interests and stuff like that, and the conversation was great. One of the best dates I've been on" Cana said with a smile.

"No second date?" Mira asked.

"Uh...nope" Cana said, popping the 'p'.

"What? Why not?" Mira asked hastily.

"Uh...just didn't work out" Cana hesitated.

"Tell her the real reason" Gajeel said with a smirk. Cana glared at him in response before sighing and looking down at the counter.

"He tried to ask me on a second date and I….I hesitated. I was wondering what would happen if Natsu and I actually started dating and….I must've been quiet too long because he told me that I didn't have to and he didn't really expect me to say yes. He was just happy I'd agreed to go in the first place" Cana said, still looking down. "I wish I could go back and say yes without hesitating, but I can't, and I just feel...awkward around him now."

"Oh" Mira said sadly. "Maybe ask him out? Show him you're still interested?"

"I've thought of that but when I try to talk to him I just feel….awkward I guess is the word. I know that me not saying anything hurt him and I don't know if he's gotten over it or if he'd even want to try something with me again" Cana said sadly.

"Yeah, yah hurt him pretty good" Gajeel said simply. "Salamander did nothing but train for two weeks after that. Wouldn't even fight me, the pansy."

"You just need to talk to him" Mira said, ignoring Gajeel. "Everything will be fine if you two just talk it out."

"Yeah, Mira. I think I will" Cana said with a smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it" Mira smiled back.

"Probably won't work. Salamander says he isn't looking to date right now. He's got that project everyone keeps talking about and now he says he's going to start taking on more jobs to train" Gajeel said before the girls could go crazy.

"Oh" Cana said dejectedly.

"Still, you should talk to him. He may not be looking for something, but that doesn't mean he won't say yes!" Mira said enthusiastically.

"I guess so. Thanks" Cana said before walking out of the guild. She had to go home to think this out.

"Lisanna's going to be so upset she wasn't his first date" Mira said to herself.

"Gihi" Gajeel laughed. "She wasn't his first either."

Mira narrowed her eyes. "What do you know?"

"That Salamander is too nice. He's been on a bunch of dates with his fans. Only first dates though. He knows they only want him because of his supposed infamy" Gajeel said. "Now pay up."

Mira huffed and went into the back and brought out some reforged iron that Gajeel enjoyed immensely.

"You can have this whole thing if you spill" Mira said with a smile

"Cut off a piece, demon. I've said too much already" Gajeel said as he turned his arm into a sword.

"Fine" Mira huffed. Gajeel must have some good stuff if he won't tell!

Gajeel cut the iron piece in half and handed one half back to Mira.

"I'll be in touch, Gajeel" Mira said as she went back to her duties.

Gajeel just laughed and went back to his table. He got there and stared down at the iron. ' _Why did I say all that? He told me that in confidence'_ Gajeel thought to himself. ' _I just hope he can forgive me. That demon is going to corner him as soon as she can.'_

 **(Timeskip)**

Natsu woke up feeling oddly refreshed. Almost as if some weight had been lifted from his chest. He shrugged and got up to stretch. No use worrying about something that made him feel better.

Natsu then headed straight to the new house. He was planning on taking a mission later so he would work on the house in the morning and head to the guild for an early lunch before heading out. Natsu started putting up more studs for the rooms of the house. He even built the stairs to the upper floor. As his final work for the day, he went around nailing more plywood up around the outside so it actually looked like the house had walls. He framed the windows, the front and back doors before he went too crazy with the plywood. No use doing things twice. Once he finished the back door, Natsu took a much needed break. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was later in the morning.

Natsu packed up his tools and put them in the basement. Once they were all away, he went back to his cottage to shower and grab a drink of water. Once the water hit his system, his stomach roared in protest.

"Guess I shouldn't have skipped breakfast this morning" Natsu said sheepishly. His stomach growled in agreement. "I'll get some food at the guild then! Hold on stomach, I'll fill yah up as fast as I can!"

Natsu ran to the guild and kicked the doors open. He could tell there was something going on in the guildhall, but decided not to worry about it. He yelled out his greeting to everyone and made a beeline to the bar.

"Good morning Natsu" Kinana said with a smile. "How are you today?"

"Starving" Natsu whined as he put his head on the counter pathetically. This got Kinana to giggle.

"Skipped breakfast again, huh?" Kinana asked.

"Yeah. I should know better" Natsu said with his head still down.

"One 'Hungry Natsu' meal coming up" Kinana said then went into the kitchen.

"I love that they know what I want on days like today" Natsu said to himself before rolling his attention to the guildhall. He noticed a couple of people had their eyes on him, but weren't saying anything. That made him self-conscious as now he couldn't hear what they were talking about. Just as he was going to get up and yell at them, Lisanna approached him.

"Hey Natsu" Lisanna said with a smile.

"Hey Lisanna!" Natsu said. "You know what's wrong with the guild?"

"Hm?" Lisanna asked as she looked around and saw some of the women that were close to Natsu still looking their way. "Oh them. Well there's a rumor going around of you going on a date recently so they're curious."

Natsu stopped to think. ' _Gajeel wouldn't tell anyone. Maybe I wasn't as careful as I thought. When was the last one I went on?'_ He couldn't remember. But that meant it wasn't recent.

"Well you know how rumors are" Natsu said with a shrug.

"So you haven't been on one recently?" Lisanna asked.

"Nope" Natsu said while popping the 'p'.

"Have you been on a date before at all?" Lisanna asked. This made Natsu raise an eyebrow at the girl.

"Are we playing twenty-one questions?" Natsu asked. Lisanna smiled.

"Maybe."

"Oh" Natsu said. "Why didn't you tell me? You skipped my turn."

Lisanna internally sighed. She knew playing along with Natsu's game was the only way she'd get the information she wanted.

"Okay Natsu, ask away" Lisanna said keeping her smile in place.

"Sweet!" Natsu cheered before he began thinking. "Oh! Have you ever been on a date before?"

"That was my question!" Lisanna said hurriedly.

"So?" Natsu asked, confused. "We can both answer."

"Fine" Lisanna said in defeat. "Yes, I've been on a couple."

"Oh, cool" Natsu said with a grin. "Your turn."

"Same question" Lisanna said.

"Same answer" Natsu replied cheekily.

"You've been on a couple of dates?" Lisanna asked, shocked.

Natsu frowned. "It's my turn Lisanna."

"Oh, right. Sorry" Lisanna said slowly, still getting over her shock.

"Why did you ask me about that?" Natsu asked.

"I told you, there was a rumor" Lisanna said.

"No one else mentioned the rumor, they're just _eavesdropping_ " Natsu said loudly as he looked around and people close by quickly looked away. "Don't try to hide it! I heard you all whispering and taking bets!"

"Order up Natsu" Kinana sang as she came out holding two plates of food for him. "I'll be right back with the rest."

"You're a goddess Kinana!" Natsu cried as he dug into his food. Kinana blushed at the praise, but smiled and went back to get his other two plates of food.

"My turn, Natsu" Lisanna said, trying to regain his attention. She had moved over a stool before trying, though. "I know you can hear me."

Natsu swallowed what was in his mouth and sighed. "Go ahead Lisanna."

"Have all of your dates asked you out?" Lisanna asked.

"No" Natsu replied before digging in to his food again.

"Who'd you ask out?" Lisanna asked.

"No yur turn" Natsu said through a mouthful of food.

"Fine" Lisanna huffed before waiting for Natsu's question.

' _I bought myself some time'_ Natsu thought to himself as he continued eating. He was even happier when Kinana brought out two full plates of fire chicken.

"This is delicious Kinana!" Natsu cheered after he swallowed.

"Thanks Natsu" Kinana said with a smile before turning to get Cana,who looked deep in thought, another mug of booze.

Natsu quickly inhaled all of the food and sighed in contentment.

"Your question Natsu?" Lisanna asked impatiently.

"Sorry Lisanna" Natsu said as he got up. "I came here to do a mission today, and I gotta hurry or it'll be overnight!"

Natsu quickly made his way over to the request board and grabbed the first monster extermination mission he saw. He then quickly maneuvered around Lisanna and showed Kinana the request he was taking.

"Good luck, Natsu" Kinana said as she stamped it.

"Thanks" Natsu said with a grin, before saying, "sorry, Lisanna. We can play more when I get back." Then he hurried out of the guild.

"Natsu! Get back here!" Lisanna called after him, but he was gone. "I was just curious to see if Mira was telling me the truth."

"Thank Mavis I got out of there" Natsu said as he looked at his job flier to find out where he had to go. "Oh, cool. An unknown fire-breathing beast is up in the mountains outside….of….Shirotsume."

Natsu fell to his knees in anguish. "That train ride takes forever!" he wailed. Natsu sighed and got up, already knowing he had to get the train and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "I just hope I can pass out before it takes off this time."

Natsu did manage to fall asleep before the train took off. He did, however, wake up for the last twenty minutes of the ride and felt incredibly queasy.

Natsu managed to drag himself off of the train and said, "alright, let's go *urk* find the mayor's office."

He went to the center of town, knowing that was the best place to find or at least start looking for, the town hall. He found the place quickly and made his way inside.

"How can I help you?" The secretary asked.

"I'm here about the monster in the mountains" Natsu said. The secretary nodded and said, "right this way."

Natsu followed her up the stairs and down the hall until they reach a set of double doors. "Wait one moment please."

"Okay sir, the mayor can meet with you now" the secretary said with a smile.

"Thank you" Natsu said before making his way in.

"It is you Mr. Dragneel!" The mayor said happily. "Perfect!"

"Uh….hi" Natsu said sheepishly.

"I'm so glad you're here! The last report of the creature was that it was a dragon!" The mayor said quickly.

"Dragon?" Natsu asked, somewhat shocked that one could still be around. The mayor nodded quickly.

"Yes, and a large one at that! We were going to bump the job up to S-class, but since you're here, there's no need to worry!"

"Alright, just tell me where to find it, I'll take care of this" Natsu said determinedly.

"Look here on the map" the mayor said, unrolling a map on his desk. "We're here. And the sightings have been in this area here. It's a couple of miles wide, which agrees with the report of it being a dragon."

"I'll take a look around and find out what's going on" Natsu said as he got up to leave.

"Good luck, son. I know you're strong but I hope it isn't a dragon" the mayor said as he shook Natsu's hand.

"Even if it is, I can take care of it" Natsu said seriously. He then made his way towards the area the mayor pointed out on the map.

Natsu began to smell around, and didn't smell any dragon scent as far as he could remember. He smelled another scent that he hadn't smelled before, which got him curious. All the types of beasts he had fought before had a general smell with slight deviations for the individuals. All wyverns smelled about the same, all Vulcans smelled about the same, and he guessed every type of dragon smelled the same. The last was a guess based on Igneel and Atlas Flame having similar scents.

For something to have a scent he hadn't encountered before made him extremely curious. He sniffed the air to try and see if there was a fresher scent trail, but no luck.

"I'll head south first I guess" Natsu said to himself before setting out, sniffing like a bloodhound the entire time. He searched for about an hour when the wind changed direction. It started flowing down from the mountains. Immediately Natsu picked up a fresher scent trail.

"Let's see what you are" Natsu said as he began carefully climbing his way up the nearest trail.

Natsu got up to where the scent was strongest and looked around. He saw no animal or creature, but did see what looked like nests around a river.

"Those look like those crocodile nests we saw in the jungle" Natsu said as he began to look around. He kept a sharp ear out and continually sniffed the air to not be caught off guard.

Natsu then heard a scraping noise coming from behind some bushes and readied himself. Nothing moved again for a minute but Natsu could feel that he was being watched. Out of the bushes a giant lizard erupted. It had six legs and red scales topped with spikes on its back and yellow scales on its stomach.

"Woah!" Natsu said as he jumped out of the way of the stampeding monster. "I have no idea _what_ you are!"

The creature turned to Natsu and roared before making its way towards him again. He avoided the creature's jaws and threw a punch that he thought would end the fight. Instead the creature just took it and knocked him away with one of its feet.

"You're tougher than anything I faced recently" Natsu said as he got up and brushed his vest off. "Round two" he said excitedly as he lit his hands on fire. It seemed the fire set the creature off as it charged much faster than it had the first time. Natsu narrowly avoided getting chomped on and blasted the creature back, causing deep gouge marks in the ground. The creature was still standing though.

"Wow, you're really tough!" Natsu said happily. "Time to have some fun!"

The creature roared in response and lunged at Natsu.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"** Natsu said as he cocked his arm back and threw it forward. The creature went flying back this time and landed heavily on its side. That didn't seem to bother it though as it just popped back up and turned on Natsu.

"Bring it" Natsu taunted even though he was pretty sure the creature couldn't speak.

In response the creature lunged again but stopped short out of range of Natsu's fists and breathed fire right at Natsu.

Natsu smirked in retaliation as he began inhaling the fire. "Wow!" Natsu exclaimed. "That's some of the best fire I've ever eaten!"

The creature roared in anger and lunged again. Natsu dodged and chanted " **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack"** as he sped passed the creature and made it fly up into the air. The creature whined as it hit the ground this time. It seemed like his attacks were working.

"Time to step it up" Natsu said as he began to channel more power into his magic. "You like breathing fire? Well try this on for size!" Natsu yelled at the creature that was slowly regaining its bearings. " **Fire Dragon's Roar"** Natsu yelled as the creature was engulfed in flames. Once Natsu ended his attack, the creature was charred and not moving.

"Yeah! I did it!" Natsu exclaimed happily. It was then that he heard another scraping noise coming from behind him, and another from the bushes again, and a third from above him in a rock formation.

"Dammit! I should've known more nests meant more monsters!" Natsu berated himself as he got in a ready stance again. This time the creatures all charged at Natsu at once. All of his concentration went to dodging the razor sharp claws and teeth of the creatures. After a few minutes of playing defense, Natsu began to see small openings in the timing of the creatures' attacks. He aimed for the first window he'd have.

" **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn"** Natsu yelled as he head butted one of the creatures in its exposed stomach. He was now going at full power and so sent that creature skidding back. But it quickly got back up and shook its head.

This didn't slow the other two down at all. They continued to attack and, in Natsu's opinion, began to attack more aggressively. He leapt away from the creatures and they all breathed fire at him after that. Natsu's eyes lit up at this and he sucked the flames all down. "Delicious!" He yelled before he called out " **Fire Dragon's Roar"** sending fire back at the creatures.

The Roar had been too spread out, it seemed, as they only got a few burns from the attack. But it was enough to slow them down so Natsu could counter-attack.

The creatures charged again but Natsu saw this coming. He sped towards them and jumped over the two in front. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"** Natsu chanted as he crashed down on the third one, leading with his fist. This caused a cloud of dust to fly into the air, and when the dust started to clear the third creature wasn't moving. Natsu, however, underestimated the creatures' senses and the two remaining slashed his torso and legs as they slapped him off their comrade.

"Ah!" Natsu cried out as he flew into a cluster of boulders. He crashed through the boulders, but the creatures didn't let up. They breathed fire after Natsu's flying body, and the flames hit him while he was down. They didn't do any damage, but they did burn his vest off and most of his pants.

"I should've brought extra clothes" Natsu whined and he gingerly got up. He inspected himself while he was blocked by the smoke and smell of fire. The slashes weren't too deep, but they were bleeding a lot. ' _I gotta finish this before I bleed out'_ Natsu thought to himself. He faced down the two remaining monsters and decided to really let them have it. " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame"** Natsu yelled as he unleashed his spell on the two unsuspecting beasts. They went flying back and slowly got back to their feet.

The two breathed deeply and Natsu knew they were going to breathe fire again. They did and he sucked the fire up immediately. He then used this power boost to speed towards his enemies and hit them with a massive punch. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"** Natsu called out as he hit one of the creatures and the resulting blast sent the other one into the side of a cliff. This caused a small landslide that covered most of the creatures' bodies. The only one not covered was the one implanted in the cliff side. None of the creatures moved after this and Natsu hopped down from the rock he was using as a platform.

"Whew" Natsu said as he wiped his forehead off. "You guys were sure tough. That was the best workout I've gotten in awhi-ow!" Natsu yelled as some sweat dropped into one of his cuts. "Okay, let's get to town so I can get patched up."

He then looked over at one of the creatures. "I wonder if your scales and teeth are worth something….Only one way to find out" Natsu said as he advanced on the only creature he could see. Once he grabbed a couple, he burned the body to ashes. He held them in his hands and made his way back to the bottom of the mountain where he left his bag. He stuffed the scales into the bag and shouldered it. Then he made his way to town.

When he got back to town the townspeople were speechless. He looked like he'd been through a warzone. Quickly, a doctor ran up to him and demanded he follow him to get patched up. Natsu agreed immediately and followed the doctor. He ended up having his entire torso and his right thigh wrapped in bandages. The doctor was also kind enough to give Natsu a plain white t-shirt.

"Thanks old man" Natsu said as he left the doctor's office.

"Don't mention it! Thank you for taking care of those monsters!" The doctor happily said back.

Natsu waved back with a smile. Glad he could help these people. The doctor told him that the monsters had started coming down to town recently and were attacking people on the roads. He was happy that lives were going to be saved now, but was also upset that he hadn't been able to help sooner.

Natsu made it back to the mayor's office and met the secretary with a smile.

"Mr. Dragneel!" She said excitedly. "I'm happy to see you back so soon and in good health!"

"Heh….not perfect health though" Natsu replies as he lifted his shirt to show his bandages, making the secretary gasp.

"W-well let me tell the mayor you're here" the secretary said as she rushed up to the mayor's office. She came back in no time and ushered Natsu to the office.

"Mr. Dragneel! That was quick!" The mayor said happily. "Or at least faster than I thought it would be."

"Yeah I lucked out. I found their nests and they were all close by" Natsu said.

"They?" The mayor asked.

"Yeah, there were four of them. That's how they were attacking all over the place" Natsu said.

"Well then we'll have to increase your pay!" The mayor said hurriedly.

"No, no. You don't have to. I'm just happy to help!" Natsu said quickly. "I didn't come just for the money!"

"Nonsense" The mayor said over Natsu. "I heard you were even injured, so it's only right."

"Instead, you could send some money to the doctor that helped me" Natsu said. "He wouldn't let me pay him."

"Alright" The mayor said. "We'll double your pay _and_ see that the doctor is compensated."

Natsu sighed in defeat. "Yeah, that works for me."

"Good. We'll also set you up with a hotel room for the night" the mayor said. After which Natsu looked outside and registered how late it was. The sun was beginning to set.

"Wow. I forgot how long the train ride was" Natsu said. The mayor smiled.

"There's a hotel down the street that way. I'll call down and get you a room for the night" the mayor said as he pointed.

"Thanks a lot!" Natsu said happily. He would have rather gone home, but it was starting to get late and he was getting tired….and hungry. "Any place you'd recommend to eat?"

"The hotel has a lovely restaurant in it. I'm sure they'll have anything you like" the mayor said as he went to get Natsu's payment. He paid Natsu the 1 million Jewel and Natsu was on his way.

He held back on his dinner, in his opinion anyway. People were still gawking at him and how much he ate. But he went to bed feeling comfortable. Not exactly full, but he was content.

The next morning Natsu got up and stretched. He immediately regretted his decision when he felt his wounds pull. He flinched hard and quickly got ready for the day. He then checked out and headed to the train station….after grabbing a "small" breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

Because he had just woken up, Natsu didn't manage to pass out until halfway through the trip, which sucked but he was also thankful for the slight respite.

Natsu dragged himself off the train and once he felt better got himself back up, shouted "I'M ALIVE!", and made his way toward the guild. He knew that if anyone knew what he just fought, it would be Levy.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Natsu finally got a good mission in! Please review as I do read all of them and enjoy your thoughts on the story. I will be putting a relationship poll up a bit later in the story, but I may bump that up a bit.**

 **See yah next chapter!**


	7. Revelations

**Zolf Edward Elric- Thanks! It's become a bit more detailed than I originally thought, but I think it's turning out well.**

 **Nise no Kishi- Thanks! I'm still debating on the topic of pairings, but it won't happen for a bit longer at least! Plus, at least in the final season, we see glimpses of Natsu maturing and everyone kind of ignores or mocks him for it. That's where I got the idea of him having secrets.**

 **OpSmile- Thanks! I'm trying to do a new chapter at least every other week. I am busy with work and school.**

 **DragonFire44- Thanks! I may have to add that in now. Cana may take a back seat as she's doing more jobs to get a stash of alcohol big enough for Natsu to get drunk off of. Thanks for pointing out the Lisanna thing! Not at all how I pictured it, but it's nice to see you found another way it could be interpreted. We'll see how Natsu takes this betrayal of trust.**

 **AbyssalVelocity- Thanks! I added Cana because there isn't a lot of NatsuxCana pairing and I like both characters. And it always kinda blew me away that people would be flocking to Natsu's name in the first episode, yet would leave him alone otherwise. Never made much sense so I wrote how I thought it would actually be. The more popular Fairy Tail mages being chased by fans.**

 **UchihaAngel98- Thanks! I didn't even think about a harem fic. It seems like a lot of work honestly, but I do enjoy reading some of them. I also like the NatsuxMira pairing. It's personally my #2 after NaLu.**

 **Trewill91- I was looking up monsters and then I thought it would be funny if Natsu didn't know what a salamander looked like. So I threw it in for a laugh.**

 **Nem- Thanks! Romance isn't really the focus, but it does add some drama so I figured I'd write in a bit. When I first thought up the story it was going to be a NaLu because it was my idea of what happened after the manga ended, but I figured I'd put it to a poll later on. I'm laying a little bit of foundation for whoever is chosen in the early chapters.**

 **NaWen- She will be added to the poll don't worry! Personally I like the idea of Natsu and Wendy being more siblings, but I can see what you mean too! They could easily advance their relationship.**

 **Darth73- Thanks! He may leave Fairy Tail, he may not. We'll have to wait and see. They do have a strong connection, and being dragon slayers makes it that much stronger. Especially when you get glimpses of how well they work together, like when fighting the Garou Knights in the GMG arc.**

 **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

Wendy was enjoying her conversation with Charle and Erza when she caught the scent of Natsu getting closer. She then kept an eye on the door, waiting to see if he was coming to the guild today.

Natsu walked up to the guild and kicked the door in, flinching immediately as he used his right leg out of habit. "Ow.." he whined.

"I made it back alive!" Natsu called out, but it was too late. Wendy was on him in a second.

"Natsu, are you okay?" Wendy asked hurriedly.

"I'm fine, Wendy" Natsu said with a smile.

"What happened to your clothes?" Wendy asked as she led him to her table.

"Ah...they uh….they got burned up" Natsu said sheepishly.

"How did they get burned up? You never burned your clothes" Wendy said suspiciously.

"I fought something that breathed fire and they burned them up while I was down" Natsu said, embarrassed.

"Something managed to get you down? What was it?" Erza asked.

"I'm not sure, that's why I'm here. I was gonna ask Levy, and didn't think about going home to change my clothes" Natsu said as he looked to where Levy and Gajeel usually sit.

"Are those bandages?" Charle asked. When she said that the other two girls noticed they could see through his shirt and that his entire torso was wrapped up.

"What happened?!" Wendy cried out.

"It's just a couple of scratches" Natsu said lowly. Wendy immediately began using her healing magic on him. She noticed the wounds were much worse than Natsu let on, but decided to not bring it up. At least in front of other people.

"Ah" Natsu sighed as Wendy finished healing him. "Thanks Wendy."

"No problem Natsu" Wendy said with a smile before adding so low only Dragon Slayers could hear, "we're going to talk about how you got so hurt."

Wendy noticed that Natsu winced in response, which meant he didn't want to. But she would make him. He went on a job alone and should have been more careful.

"Oh, there's Levy. I'll see you guys around" Natsu said as he got up and walked over to where Levy and Gajeel were sitting. Wendy watched him go, hoping he wouldn't fight her on the conversation. She just wanted to go on some missions with him. To help him.

 **(With Natsu)**

' _I wonder why Wendy was so upset. I've been hurt worse before'_ Natsu thought to himself as he made his way over to Levy's table. When he got there Gajeel looked up first and snorted.

"You look like shit, Salamander" Gajeel said as he went back to his iron.

"Thanks" Natsu deadpanned.

"We gotta talk later" Gajeel said lowly like Wendy had. Natsu raised an eyebrow at this. Why did everyone want to have private conversations with him today?

"Good morning Natsu" Levy said with a smile. "Ignore him, he's in a bad mood."

"Sure" Natsu said with a grin.

"So what's up?" Levy asked.

"I was wondering if you could name a monster for me" Natsu said hopefully.

"Hmm….let's go to the library. It'll be easy to figure out there" Levy said.

"Thanks" Natsu said as the two made their way down. They grabbed some books and spread them out on the table.

"Alright Natsu, can you describe it for me?" Levy asked as she looked at him. Natsu pulled out the scales he had and put them on the table.

"These were some of its scales. The red ones were on top, the yellow on its underside. It had six legs and it breathed fire" Natsu said.

Levy's eyes widened in shock. "Natsu, That was a salamander! They're ranked as an S-class monster!"

"Whoa really?" Natsu asked, shocked.

"Yeah! How did you manage to get that job?" Levy asked since Natsu wasn't S-class yet.

"They didn't know what it was, but they said before I took the job that they were going to bump it up to an S-class job" Natsu said. "Awesome! I took out four S-class monsters! Take that Gray! Kakaka"

Levy shook her head with a smile. Then what Natsu said registered. "Four?! You took out four?! By yourself? Thank Mavis you made it back alright!" Levy cried out.

"They used fire, so it was no big deal. But I did get slashed up a little" Natsu admitted. The two made their way back to the main level.

"Still Natsu, that's incredible" Levy said with a smile.

"What's incredible, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked from next to the door.

"Natsu took out four salamanders by himself!" Levy said excitedly. That made Gajeel laugh. "What's so funny?" Levy huffed.

"Salamander beating on salamanders. That's funny" Gajeel said with a grin.

"Whatever" Natsu said. "I'll talk to you later, guys."

' _I can't believe it! Four S-class monsters in one go! Maybe now Gramps'll promote me!'_ Natsu thought to himself. He was so lost in thought he didn't notice a white haired woman eyeing him as if she was a predator and he was her prey. Natsu walked up to the bar and then finally realized something was wrong. He looked up and immediately became terrified of the look in Mira's eyes.

"Good morning Natsu" Mira said with a smile.

"M-morning Mira" Natsu stammered out.

"Where were you this morning?" Mira asked sweetly.

"O-oh. I was j-just c-coming back from my mission" Natsu said.

"You took a mission yesterday? Wait. Was that why Wendy was healing you before?" Mira asked.

"Uh...hehehe" Natsu awkwardly chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah."

"Natsu, you have to be more careful if you're going to do jobs on your own" Mira scolded him. "You don't have anyone to watch your back."

"I know, Mira. But it wasn't that I was careless! The job was bigger than it said!" Natsu defended as he crossed his arms and pouted. "They didn't even give the type of monster I had to face!"

Mira melted a little. Natsu looked like a kicked puppy and she thought he looked so cute. "Oh? And what did you fight?" Mira asked, knowing Natsu loved to brag.

"Four salamanders!" Natsu said proudly. Mira dropped her jaw in shock.

"Natsu! Those are ranked at S-class as young! SS-class when they grow up!" Mira said worriedly. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"I'm fine Mira" Natsu said with a smile. "I only got a little cut up and they breathed fire so it was no problem."

"I guess they would be easier for a fire Dragon Slayer, huh?" Mira said with a smile. She was happy he wasn't seriously hurt.

"Of course not! Those overgrown lizards have nothin on me!" Natsu bragged. Mira giggled at that.

"Do you want something to eat?" Mira asked.

"Yeah! Please!" Natsu said as he nodded excitedly.

"I have a new beef recipe I wanna try out. Want to taste test it for me?" Mira asked.

"Of course! Your cooking is always great Mira. Maybe even the best!" Natsu said happily.

"Now don't say that so loud Natsu, some people might get jealous" Kinana said with a giggle. She just came to the bar with some orders from other members.

"Oh, sorry Kinana. Your cooking's really good too!" Natsu said quickly. Both girls laughed at how easy it was to toy with Natsu.

"Let me get your food. Then we need to have a talk" Mira said as she walked into the kitchen. Natsu started sweating profusely. He figured it was about what Lisanna was asking him. He knew Mira would be much more direct than her sister and he wouldn't be able to escape from her.

"It's okay Natsu, don't worry. She won't eat you" Kinana giggled as she got some drinks together.

"She might" Natsu whined as he let his head slam on the counter.

"Natsu!" He heard from behind him. He turned around and saw Happy flying toward him.

"Where were you? You didn't come home last night!" Happy cried as he grabbed onto Natsu's shirt.

"Sorry bud, the job I took took longer than I thought" Natsu said with a smile.

"Oh, okay. Well I laid some stuff out this morning" Happy said proudly. Natsu quickly put a hand over his mouth so he couldn't say more.

"Great job Happy, but maybe we shouldn't talk about that here" Natsu said quietly. He saw Kinana was listening intently even though she was putting drinks together.

"Oh. Right" came Happy's muffled reply.

"How was your day with Charle yesterday?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"It was great! We wandered around town and had lunch! Then we went to see what Wendy was up to and the three of us played some games for the afternoon" Happy said with a smile. "We're gonna go visit the Exceeds in a couple of days!"

"Oh, that should be fun!" Natsu said excitedly. "You'll get to tell them that the two of you are official now!"

"Aye Sir!" Happy said.

"Wanna head home soon? We can work on the project today" Natsu said, glancing Kinana's way who just stacked her tray full of drinks.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered. "But for now I'm gonna go see what Charle's up to!"

"Alright, see you in a bit" Natsu called out as Happy flew away. He then heard a plate being placed behind him and he whipped around drooling at the smell. "It smells so good Mira!"

"Thank you Natsu" Mira giggled. "But why don't you try some?"

Natsu did and loved every second of it. He grabbed the plate, pulled it closer, and went to town on the food. "It tastes even better than it smells!" Natsu exclaimed happily.

"I'm glad. I'll have to put it on the menu" Mira said with a smile. "Now you owe me information."

Natsu was confused at this. How did him tasting something for her count as him owing her? But he thought better of arguing since he liked that she always gave him a little extra food and she could easily stop.

"Uh….Okay?" Natsu asked not completely sure of what was going on.

"You went on a date with Cana right?" Mira asked. Natsu put his head down on the bar and nodded in response. "Did you ask her?" Another nod. "Why Cana?"

Now that wasn't the question he was expecting. Natsu looked up at Mira, surprised she didn't pry more details out of him about the date.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"Why did you ask Cana? Why not Lucy? Or Lisanna?" Mira asked.

"Oh….Cana and I were talking about something about a week after the GMG and I just blurted the question out before I could figure out why. I partially just wanted to get to know her better, but also talking to her and hanging out with her was easy. It was a weird feeling, one I had a couple times before" Natsu said honestly.

"Like when? Or with who?" Mira asked. She was happy Natsu's was being this open with her but she felt….something about how he was describing his interaction with Cana.

"Uh….y'know, a couple people or times" Natsu said trying to avoid answering.

"Hmm" Mira hummed, knowing Natsu didn't want to answer. "Who was your first crush and when?"

"My first crush?" Natsu said as he thought back. "Probably Erza."

"What about me?" Erza asked as she just came to the bar to order some cake.

"Oh….h-hey E-Erza" Natsu said nervously. Mira smirked.

"Natsu was just telling me about how you were his first crush" Mira said deviously.

Erza went wide-eyed at this. "I was?" Natsu nodded in response, too afraid to look her in the eye. "When?"

"W-when I first joined the guild" Natsu said, thinking back. "Your hair reminded me of Igneel's scales, and you were really strong. Igneel always told me to find a strong woman to be with. Plus you've always been beautiful."

Erza and Mira both blushed profusely at that. Neither knew Natsu would be so open with his reasons.

"W-What happened to how you felt?" Erza asked hesitantly. Mira looked at Erza, shocked. She didn't expect the woman to ask for more information!

"I….uh….I guess it got overtaken by my want to surpass you" Natsu said honestly. He really had no clue, or if his feelings changed at all.

"I-I see" Erza said, still blushing. "W-well c-can I have a cake please Mira?"

"Y-Yeah. Hold on a sec" Mira stammered as she went to get the cake.

"H-how do you feel about Mira, Natsu?" Erza asked after she got control of herself.

"Mira?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Yes, Mira. I believe the two of you would make a good couple" Erza said, reigning in her composure.

"I-I don't-what?" Natsu asked smartly.

"Do you have romantic feelings for-thank you Mira" Erza said as she smiled at Mirajane who just appeared with a slice of cake. ' _If only she wasn't so quick!'_

"No problem Erza" Mira said with a smile. "Who does Natsu have romantic feelings for?"

"That's what I was just asking him" Erza said as she took a bite of her cake. Natsu began to sweat at this. He could feel other pairs of eyes on him at this point. The two girls hadn't tried to control their voices so others had heard.

"Well….I mean….no one?" Natsu asked.

"Was that a question?" Mira asked, sensing weakness.

"N-no!" Natsu said. He heard a couple of people whispering about who he could like.

"You can tell us Natsu, it'll be our secret. Maybe we can even help you!" Mira said happily.

"I….what?" Natsu asked again, looking between the two. "Uh...no thanks. I gotta….go work on the project! Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy said as he flew over, grabbed Natsu, and flew out of the guild.

"Darn, and I thought he would spill" Mira pouted.

"Yes, it seems this will be more difficult than I thought" Erza said deep in thought.

"What will be more difficult?" Mira asked only to receive no response. "Erza?"

"Hmm? Oh it's nothing. Nothing at all" Erza said as she finished her cake and went back to Wendy and Charle, Mira looking at her suspiciously the whole way.

She then looked over at the other end of the bar and saw a sullen-looking Cana.

"Is something wrong Cana?" Mira asked as she made her way over.

"No, nothing's wrong" Cana said.

"Oh! Did you want to talk to Natsu today? I'm sorry! I just _had_ to know his point of view of the date and then Erza walked over and things kinda got out of hand" Mira said quickly.

"I know" Cana chuckled. "I heard most of it. I think I'm gonna grab a job. Some time away might do me some good."

Mira watched sadly as Cana walked away. She didn't know how to help her friend, and it was eating away at her inside.

 **(With Natsu)**

"I didn't think that I would draw that much attention" Natsu said.

"Aye. The others saw Mira and Erza blushing so they started listening in on your conversation" Happy said with a frown. He knew Natsu didn't like to share how he feels about certain things. "When they heard you might like someone, they seemed to not believe it so they listened more and started saying who they think it is."

"Hmm" Natsu hummed. "Well no use overthinking it! Time to get some work done! I can't wait to see what you did while I was gone Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered as they made their way towards the house. The two got there in no time at all and Natsu began to look around at what Happy did while he was away.

"Lookin good Happy! You've got some of the first floor ceiling up!" Natsu praised. Happy puffed out his chest proudly.

"It wasn't hard at all!" Happy bragged. Natsu laughed in response.

"I'm sure. Let's get the tools up here so we can get started on the second floor" Natsu said.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered. The two made their way down to the basement and got everything they believed that they'd need. It wasn't too crucial to grab everything, though. Happy would fly down and get something if they forgot it.

They spent the rest of the day putting up the ceiling beams, and the layer of plywood for the second floor. Natsu and Happy debated on a deck off the second floor for a while before they compromised with making the deck on the first floor larger than they originally intended. It was getting to be around dinner time when Natsu took a short breather.

"Hey, Happy. Why don't you go invite Wendy and Charle over for dinner? Wendy said she had to talk to me and I'd rather do it here than at the guild" Natsu said. Happy's face lit up at the thought of having dinner with his girlfriend.

"Aye sir! We'll stop by the guild to grab some food too!" Happy cheered then flew away. Natsu made a mental note to go grocery shopping soon so they didn't _have_ to keep eating at the guild.

Natsu looked around and saw they were about halfway done with the second level. He had a few more pieces of plywood so he put them where they were gonna be and was able to nail two down before he smelled Wendy, Charle, and Happy leaving Magnolia. He rushed to throw the tools down into the basement and get back to the cottage. He just jumped into the shower when the three walked into the house.

"Oh, that's where he is" Happy said as they came inside.

"I guess we'll have to wait for him, again" Charle said.

"He must have been busy. I'm sure he'll be done soon" Wendy said.

"Sure" Charle replied before opening the bags and laying out the food on the table. They didn't get quite as much as last time, but it was still a good amount of food.

Natsu came out five minutes later, and Charle said, "finally."

"I wasn't that long!" Natsu pouted. Happy and Wendy laughed and Natsu smiled as he joined them. "So what's up guys? Do anything fun after we left the guild?"

"Not really. Just talked to a couple of people, a brawl broke out since Gray and Juvia just got back from their mission, the usual" Charle replied.

"Gray's back? I'll have to go to the guild tomorrow to show him who's boss" Natsu grinned. He hadn't had a good brawl in awhile, maybe he'd start one tomorrow.

"Natsu, please remember that Erza's at the guild most of the time" Wendy said when she saw his grin.

"Don't worry Wendy" Natsu said. "It'll be over before anyone knows it!"

"Sure it will" Charle said.

"You guys tie every time" Happy teased. "You're gonna get your Erza time for sure!"

"Happy! Such little faith in me!" Natsu cried out. "With my new training I'll be able to crush Ice-princess!"

"New training?" Wendy asked. She hadn't heard about and _new_ training.

"Yeah. Fire manipulation like a guy I fought before" Natsu said excitedly. "I think I'm finally getting the hang of it!"

"Wow, that's so cool Natsu!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Yes, now maybe you can keep your damage on jobs down" Charle added. Wendy looked at her wide-eyed.

"Charle! That wasn't nice!" Wendy said.

"Eh. She's right I guess" Natsu said, showing it didn't bother him. "If I can control the fire better I can keep it off stuff."

"She could have phrased it better" Wendy grumbled.

"Well, lets eat before it gets cold!" Natsu said happily, trying to change the subject and succeeding. The foursome ate and joked around happily. Once they were done and Natsu and Happy cleared the table, Natsu decided to ask Wendy what she wanted earlier.

"Hey Wendy, what did you wanna talk about before?" Natsu asked.

"Oh" Wendy blushed. "I was thinking that maybe….since the team is taking a break and all….and if you don't want to it's fine…."

"Wendy, you're rambling" Natsu said with a grin.

"Ah! S-sorry. Anyway I was hoping you'd be my partner for a little while!" Wendy finished as she put her head down to face the floor, unable to handle looking at Natsu at the moment.

Natsu smiled at this. His smile getting bigger when he saw Charle's reaction. Wendy clearly did not ask her opinion before deciding on this.

"Wendy that's so forward!" Charle said, horrified. Wendy turned so red at Charle's implication that Natsu was afraid all of the blood in her body rushed to her face.

"N-not like that!" Wendy cried out. "I meant for jobs and stuff!"

"Sure Wendy, we can be partners" Natsu said, saving the girl from anymore embarrassment.

"Really?" Wendy asked hopefully as she looked into his eyes, trying to find any deceit.

"Really" Natsu said. "The four of us on a team would be unstoppable!"

"Yeah!" Wendy and Happy cheered. Wendy was worried that Natsu would keep getting more injured if he kept doing solo missions and was happy she would be there to help him.

"I guess it's alright" Charle said with a shrug.

"Oh, but what about Erza?" Natsu asked. "Weren't you two kind of partners?"

"I-yes. B-but I can still go on a job with her once in awhile right?" Wendy asked nervously.

"Yeah Wendy, you can work with whoever you want. You're your own person, you can make decisions" Natsu said. Wendy beamed at him.

"Thanks Natsu" Wendy said.

"Not a problem" Natsu said. He then grabbed a few of their board games and put them on the table. "Now if that's all the heavy stuff outta the way, let's play!"

"Aye!" The rest cheered. The remainder of the girls' visit was filled with laughter and games.

The next morning Natsu woke up in a great mood. Hanging out with the girls last night was great! He was rarin to go and decided to get a good training session in. He was doing his usual workout, but added some more weight. Once he had a good pump going, Natsu decided to try his fire manipulation again. This time, however, he decided he'd light a small fire with a match and use that.

Immediately Natsu noticed the fire was completely receptive to his will. He had it do flips, fly around the clearing, slam into the ground, and hold next to his head. It didn't flicker off, not do what he wanted it to, or explode. This made Natsu wonder if he was having so much trouble because it was his Dragon Slayer magic or he was just getting better. He ate the fire and decided to give it a try. He lit his hand on fire and tried to lift it off of his body.

Natsu noticed that doing this took much more magic than it did for the other flames. The fire lifted off of his hand and then dispersed because Natsu lost his concentration. He was hit with a wave of exhaustion as soon as it was eye level with him.

' _I'll have to ask Macao or Romeo to let me try to move their fire around'_ Natsu thought to himself as he gasped for breath. "Time to head to the guild and refuel!" Natsu cheered as he made his way back to the cottage. By the time he reached the door he was feeling a little bit better. He knew that some food would help him.

"Come on Happy! We're headin to the guild!" Natsu called out as he left the bathroom.

"Aye sir!" Happy said, then flew and landed on Natsu's head. The two made their way to the guild. when they got there they said their good mornings and sat at the bar.

"Good morning Natsu!" Mira said cheerfully. "You look tired. Have you been sleeping well?"

"Yeah" Natsu nodded. "Just a bit of intense training this morning."

"Oh good. As long as you aren't getting sick" Mira responded. "Did you eat yet?"

"Not much. Just a little fire" Natsu replied. Mira hummed and went into the kitchen to get him some food. Natsu put his head down on the counter to rest a bit. He was still feeling drained from the training.

"Here you go Happy, 2 salmon" Mira said as she gave Happy his fish. "Your food will be right out Natsu."

"Thanks Mira" Natsu said with a grin. Mira smiles in return and then started drying some of the glasses by the sink. "Say Mira…." Mira hummed to show she was listening. "Why did you wait until yesterday to ask about the date?"

Mira looked up at Natsu. "What do you mean?"

"Well if Cana told you about it I figured she'd have told you after it happened. It was a while ago so why bring it up now?"

"Cana didn't tell me about it. And I only found out about it a few days ago" Mira said simply.

"Cana didn't tell you?" Natsu asked as he began to inhale his food. He finished two of the three plates in record time.

"No. She didn't tell anyone it seems" Mira said.

"Then who did?" Natsu asked curiously.

"Gajeel did" Mira replied. Natsu stopped eating.

"Gajeel?" Natsu asked quietly.

"Yeah. He also told me you'd been on a few dates with your fans. I didn't know you were such a playboy Natsu" Mira said with a giggle. She stopped though when she noticed Natsu wasn't laughing along with her.

Mira got very worried as she watched him eat his meal silently, not looking up from his plate. After he was done he simply stacked the plates, stood up, said, "thanks for the food", and left the guild. He even left Happy behind. Now Mira was nearly frantic. She hadn't seen Natsu like that since Lisanna disappeared.

"What just happened?" Mira asked Happy, who was staring at the doors to the guild, concern written on his face.

"I don't know" Happy said simply, before he flew off to talk to Pantherlily.

* * *

 **Wow! This story is a lot more popular than I thought it would be! I'm really grateful to you guys! So Natsu found out Gajeel betrayed his trust, and it obviously hurt him. We'll see just how much later on. He's figuring things out about his fire manipulation, and the house is about halfway done! Wendy's growing too! She just wants to help Natsu since she knows he doesn't like to do things alone, and she worries about him. Also, there's a little bit of NaZa for the NaZa fans! Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Please review as y'all have great ideas and I enjoy reading them!**

 **See yah next chapter!**


	8. Broken Trust

Nise no kishi-Thanks! I was always one of the things that kinda annoyed me about Fairy Tail-not enough character development for Natsu.

DragonFire44- There are quite a few that care about Natsu I feel. They just also fail to realize that he's growing up just as they are. I think Wendy reacted as any teenage girl would in a similar situation where they were called out. At least the ones I was friends with. There may be a new project in the future. And maybe the rest of the guild will be right about this one.

Zolf Edward Elric- That's true! And thanks! I'm always kinda worried that my writing style sucks. But I'm glad at least someone likes it!

Ashborn2271- We'll see how that confrontation plays out, but it's pretty obvious Natsu's upset.

Ultimatrix bearer-I'll keep that in mind! But I haven't started the poll yet. Waiting a couple more chapters at least.

Darth73- I getcha. But we'll see how it plays out.

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Spells"

Announcements/Large Beings Talking

* * *

Mira stared at the door worriedly. She hadn't seen Natsu like that in a very long time. Suddenly she felt that she shouldn't have tried to get information out of Gajeel on Natsu's private life. 'I'm sure he'll be fine. He just needs time to cool off. Finding out your private life isn't that private must be upsetting, but this is Natsu! He'll be fine!' Mirajane thought, trying to convince herself. But Natsu hadn't even told her how good the food was! She couldn't remember a time that Natsu didn't at least do that.

Mira shook her head to clear it when she noticed Wendy was sitting at the bar staring at the doors too.

"Wendy?" Mira asked and Wendy turned to her in response. "Would you like anything?"

"Oh, an orange juice please" Wendy said. Mira smiled and nodded before getting the girl her drink. "Why was Natsu so upset?"

"I….I think he didn't want certain things out about his private life and….now they're out" Mira said sadly.

"Oh" Wendy said before sipping her juice. "Like what?"

"Who he dated in the past" Mira said. Wendy's eyes went wide.

"Natsu's been on dates?! He didn't tell me!" Wendy whisper-yelled.

"I know, shocking isn't it?" Mira shook her head with a smile. "And he hasn't asked me even once!"

Wendy just looked at the older girl, wide-eyed.

"What? I taught him what to do on a date. He could at least take me on one" Mira said with a grin, before she got stars in her eyes and put her hands on her cheeks. "Maybe we'd have such a good time we'd go on another, then another, then go steady, get married, and have three adorable babies!"

Wendy sweatdropped. Apparently, even if it's for her own relationship, Mira went into matchmaker mode. "That sounds…. lovely, Mira."

"Right? But he's been on a few dates, so I can't get too ahead of myself. He might have someone else after all!" Mira said with a sigh as she thought about Cana.

"I hope he comes back to the guild. I wanted to talk to him today" Wendy said as she looked back to the doors.

"You can always ask Happy where he went" Mira said before she was flagged down by Macao at the end of the bar.

"Thanks Mira!" Wendy called out as she turned to spot the blur Exceed. Once she spotted him, she made her way over and saw he was talking to Pantherlily.

"...but why would he tell Mira of all people?" Wendy heard Happy ask as she made her way over.

"I don't know. But I will question him later" Pantherlily said seriously. "To divulge information one is trusted with is something I never thought he would do."

"Hi" Wendy said as she finally reached the table.

"Oh, hi Wendy!" Happy chirped.

"Good morning Wendy" Pantherlily said with a grin.

"What's up?" Happy asked.

"I was wondering if you knew where Natsu went?" Wendy asked hopefully. "I wanted to talk to him today."

"Oh" Happy's face fell a little. "He's probably at his spot. He only goes there when he's upset."

"His spot?" Pantherlily asked.

"Yeah. He found some spot years ago and he says the view helps him relax. He hasn't taken me there though" Happy said sadly. "Natsu usually wants to be alone if he goes there."

"Oh" Wendy said quietly. "W-well when you see him, can you tell him I'm looking for him?"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered. This got Wendy to smile.

"Thanks Happy. Oh, Erza's waving me down. Goodbye, I'll see you later" Wendy said and after the two said goodbye, she made her way to Erza.

"I have a problem, Wendy" Erza said as she pushed her, now clean, cake plate away.

"What is it Erza?" Wendy asked. She didn't think Erza would have a problem with anything.

"I thought about what you said the other day, and I've decided to help Natsu" Erza said.

"Help?" Wendy asked, confused.

"Yes, help. I figured out that he may be upset because the rest of the team are in relationships, so I've decided to help him find one for himself" Erza said proudly.

"Um….I-I don't…." Wendy started quietly.

"The only problem" Erza talked right over the poor girl. "Is that I don't know who he would be interested in. I asked about Mira, and he did blush quite a bit, but he said he had romantic feelings for no one. You know him very well according to Charle. Do you know something that can help me help him?"

"I-I don't….we hav-haven't really talked about stuff like that" Wendy stammered.

"I see. Maybe you could ask him then. He wouldn't suspect anything from you" Erza said.

"I….I guess I could" Wendy said.

"Thank you. Oh and I've picked out a mission for us. We leave tomorrow at noon so rest up. It should be good experience for you" Erza said as she left to go retrieve more cake from the bar, leaving Wendy to stew in her thoughts.

'Doesn't anyone see that Natsu just wants to be treated like everyone else? They just keep talking about who he likes or possible relationships for him' Wendy thought sadly. She turned back to look at the door.

"I hope you're okay, Natsu" Wendy said quietly. Then she decided to head back to her apartment so she could get a head start on packing and read the book she started recently. She borrowed a fantasy romance novel from Lucy, and she was really getting into it.

(With Natsu)

Natsu was sitting on a hill overlooking Magnolia. The spot was very hard to find as you had to go through dense underbrush and around large oak trees to get there. Natsu discovered it once when he was younger by trying to fly himself around with his fire and crashing here. When he looked around to see where he crashed, he saw the beautiful view.

All of Magnolia was spread out below him. The sun was shining off the water behind the guild, and with his eyes he could make out the people going about their day. Sometimes he could see his guildmates, but other times they would already be at the guild before he got here. Today, however, he wasn't looking over the town. He had his face buried into his hands and was thinking hard about what he had learned.

'Why would Gajeel have told them? He swore I could trust him with that. To lean on him when I need to. I guess….I guess I should have seen this comin' Natsu thought to himself sadly. 'Whenever I tell anyone anything personal it always ends up gettin out. Guess I should just keep my thoughts to myself from now on.'

Natsu sighed heavily. 'I should take a job. Oh wait! Wendy! I was supposed to go on a job with her soon! I guess tomorrow I'll let her pick one so we can talk about the type of job she should do with her power and such.'

Natsu smiled slightly at that. He could take a guess as to why Wendy wanted to partner up with him now. He figured after seeing him so scratched up when he came back from the last solo job, she wanted to be there to heal him. Or she wanted to get as much experience as she could, and going on jobs with him and Erza would make that easier for her.

"Hmmm. Or maybe I should just focus on finishin the house" Natsu said out loud. "That would be a good use of time. Eh, either way, time to stop sulkin and get productive. I'll swing by the guild tomorrow and talk to Wendy."

Natsu got up and headed home, being careful not to destroy too much of the foliage so that someone could find his spot. He wanted that for himself! His own secret hide-away that no one else knew about.

When he got close to his house, he picked up the faded scent of Lisanna. 'I guess Mira was worried about me.' Natsu thought to himself. He didn't remember Lisanna being in the guild when he was, and Asuka and Bisca showing up the other day proved to him that Mira wasn't above sending others to check on him. He felt bad that he had Mira worried about him, but the shock of someone he confided in spilling his secrets was one he had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with. 'I'll have to talk to them tomorrow too.'

After that thought Natsu began working on the new house until he caught the scent of Happy coming toward him. He picked up what he could before Happy flew up to him. Natsu looked down deliberately and Happy knew better than to try to force the Dragon Slayer to open up. Instead, he just helped Natsu clean up. The duo worked quickly and quietly and made their way back to their cottage.

"Let's grab the poles and head to the lake" Natsu finally said to Happy.

"Aye sir!" Happy smiled brightly and flew ahead of Natsu to grab the gear. Natsu smiled at how happy that made his 'son', and was glad that Happy wasn't bringing up what happened at the guild. The two sat in comfortable silence, patiently waiting for a fish to bite.

They had each caught a few, when Happy finally decided to bring up what was on his mind. "Natsu….are you okay?"

"Yeah….just caught me off guard" Natsu said evenly. "Wasn't somethin I expected to find out."

Happy hummed in response. "Lily says Gajeel's been upset the last few days. We think it was a slip up."

"Yeah….maybe" Natsu said hesitantly. Happy frowned at that response. He knew how much the Dragon Slayers meant to each other, and he didn't want them to start fighting for real. The sparks and brawls were one thing, but an emotional fight was something he wanted to try to avoid.

"I don't think he'd just tell anyone that. He knew how badly you wanted to keep it a secret" Happy said softly.

Natsu sighed. He knew what Happy was trying to do, and he unfortunately wasn't going to just forgive Gajeel. At least not before they talked. "Just...let's just cook up our dinner."

"Aye" Happy said unenthusiastically. He knew Natsu was avoiding the topic, but he couldn't bring himself to try to force the issue. Not when Natsu's mask slipped for a second and he saw just how hurt the Dragon Slayer actually was feeling.

The two made their way back to the cottage where Natsu grilled up his fish while Happy waited for him. Once the fish were done, the two sat at the table and began eating in silence. Both lost deep in thought. Quickly the silence, and his thoughts, became too much for Natsu.

"I think it won't be much longer until we're done with the project" Natsu said. This snapped Happy out of his thoughts and when he registered what Natsu said, he grinned.

"Who do you think will be the most surprised when we show them?" Happy asked.

"That's a toughie" Natsu said as he assumed a thinking pose. "I'd say….Lucy. Or Lisanna. Mira and Erza will be surprised too, but not as much as those two will!"

"Aye!" Happy said. "I think Wendy and Charle will be the most surprised. They've been here a few times and haven't found out."

"Oh. Good call buddy" Natsu said with a grin as he imagined how it would go when those two found out. "You might be right."

"I know" Happy said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah" Natsu waved him off as he got up and cleaned up after himself. "You could always be wrong too."

"Meh. Doubt it. I've been spending a lot of time with them recently so I think I know them well enough to say I'm right" Happy said with a shrug. Natsu knew he was trying to sound less smug and he saw the twitch of Happy's lips that showed he was holding back his grin.

"Sure, sure" Natsu said as he then got ready for bed. "We work the mornin away and then we head to the guild. Whaddya say?"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered sleepily from his hammock. "Goodnight Natsu."

"Night Happy" Natsu said as he shut his eyes for the night.

Natsu woke up as he usually did, got started with his morning exercise, and then went back to the cottage to see if Happy was up yet. The Exceed was still asleep when he got back so he laughed quietly and walked over to the fridge. He was going to make them a simple breakfast of the remainder of their eggs and sausage patties. Natsu kept his ear out for when Happy would finally stir, and he heard the ruffling of the hammock as he knew Happy bolted up at the smell of food. Natsu laughed out loud as he heard Happy dash to set the table for the two. Happy really was like him in so many ways.

"Ready for breakfast?" Natsu asked as he finished laughing.

"Aye Sir!" Happy cheered as Natsu put the plates down. Happy saw his plate of scrambled eggs had pieces of fish throughout and he immediately dug in. "So~ good~."

Natsu laughed again. "Glad you like it" he said before he went about inhaling his food. The two ate in silence for a few minutes as they stuffed their faces.

"Whew" Natsu and Happy said as they finished their meal, both patting their happy stomachs. They shared a grin and put the dishes in the sink before heading out to the house.

"Alright, let's get serious. Maybe we can get the frame for the second floor done if we work hard!" Natsu said enthusiastically.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered as they grabbed their tools and brought them up to the second floor. The two worked for hours. Bringing up studs, placing down the headers, nailing everything down, laying out the next few, the two worked like a well oiled machine. When Happy said that Natsu immediately began to pale as he thought of a train. After Happy laughed at him and got him to calm down, the two went back to work. After four hours of working, they were beginning to feel drained. The two stopped to admire their work. They managed to finish putting the second floor down, and two exterior walls, with the windows framed out.

"I think it's looking really good" Happy said tiredly.

"Me too" Natsu said with a nod. "Let's get cleaned up and head to the guild. I wanna see if Wendy and Charle wanna pick out a mission today."

"Wendy actually told me she wanted to talk to you" Happy said.

"Even more reason to go to the guild then!" Natsu said.

"Aye sir!" Happy chirped and the two made their way to clean themselves up after putting their tools away.

Natsu kicked the door in when they got to the guild. "Good morning!" He yelled before he yelled as he was grabbed by a giant hand.

"Natsu! I told you those doors were getting weaker! Now look at them!" Makarov yelled as he dragged Natsu to the bar, with Natsu clinging to anything to try and stop it.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention! Lucy save me!" Natsu cried out as he spotted his best friend. She giggled along with Juvia, who she was sitting with and just waved at him.

"You're going to replace those doors, boy!" Makarov raged as he shook Natsu around like a rag doll until his eyes began to swirl.

"A-aye" Natsu said weakly. Makarov smirked and dropped the Dragon Slayer, who fell into a puddle of man waiting for the world to stop spinning.

Everyone went back about their business by the time Natsu got back up. He saw Happy was already eating some fish and pouted. Happy didn't even order him some food!

"Some friend you are" Natsu grumbled. Happy ignored him in favor of having a second fish. He then heard giggling and looked around to see Lucy and Mira laughing at him. "What?"

"Nothing" both sang.

"Can I have some food Mira? Some fire chicken?" Natsu asked.

"Sure" Mira said with a bright smile.

"Where were you yesterday?" Lucy asked.

"Oh….I was working on the project!" Natsu said.

"I've heard it's keeping you busy. What is this project?" Lucy asked.

"It's a surprise! You'll see soon enough!" Natsu said as his food was brought out. "Thanks Mira!"

"You're welcome" Mira said before letting her smile slip. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Me?" Natsu asked dumbly as he looked around.

"Yes you" Mira said.

"Natsu is something wrong?" Lucy asked.

"Uh...no?" Natsu said with uncertainty, looking between the two then sending a confused look Happy's way.

"They're talking about how you left yesterday" Happy said with a shrug.

"Oh! Yeah I'm fine" Natsu said.

"What happened yesterday?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing!" Natsu said giving Mira a look.

"Yeah, he just looked a little sick. I guess I was seeing things" Mira said with a frown. Natsu smiled at her to let her know he'd talk to her about it later.

"Oh, okay then" Lucy said her face brightening into a smile. "So what are your plans today Natsu?"

"I was thinking about asking Wendy if she wanted to go on a job with us" Natsu said as he began to look for the bluenette.

"Oh, you just missed her. She , Charle, and Erza took a mission that should last all day" Lucy said.

"Oh" Natsu said simply. "Well maybe I'll go back and work on the project."

"Why not stay here and hang out at the guild?" Lucy asked hurriedly. "We don't really get to see you all that often and….well, I miss spending time with you guys."

Natsu smiled. "Sure Lucy, we can hang out today. But no shopping!" Natsu said quickly. Both girls laughed at the face he made when he mentioned shopping.

"Alright, fine. No shopping. I was actually hoping to just hang out here today. I've been having a bit of writer's block recently so I figured a day to myself wouldn't be bad" Lucy said.

"Don't work yourself too hard Lucy" Natsu said seriously. "I'm sure your next novel will be just as good as the first one!"

"Really?" Lucy asked with a small blush.

"Of course! It's the only book I've willingly read!" Natsu said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, because you're too dumb to read anything anyway" Gray said with a smirk.

"What'd you say Stripper?" Natsu growled.

"That you've got nothing but ashes in that head Flame Brain" Gray taunted back.

"I have more in my head than the snow you've got between your ears!" Natsu yelled back.

"Oh please. You're the dumbest person in the guild!" Gray shot back.

"Only when you're not here!" Natsu replied.

"You just called yourself dumb!" Gray laughed.

"Still smarter than you, Princess" Natsu said with a smirk. The two banged their foreheads together and began pushing each other back and forth.

"You can't even read and write! How could I be dumber than you?"

"I can too! I went through Erza's hellcamp and had other people help me after I got over that horror" Natsu defended.

"Right" Gray drawled. "And who could you get to teach you? Everyone knows how horrible of a listener and student you are!"

"I got Levy to help me when she wasn't busy! And Lisanna!" Natsu said heatedly.

"Just goes to show how little you listen if they were willing to help you and you still can't read" Gray said.

"That's it Ice Princess!" Natsu growled as he tackled Gray. the two began rolling on the floor punching and kicking each other. They ignored Lucy's pleas to stop fighting and for Natsu to just spend time with her and their other friends. They ignored Juvia and her cheering for Gray. They ignored everything and everyone else, until Natsu got a nice kick in that sent Gray flying into the table the younger Strauss' were sitting at.

"Oh no!" Lisanna cried out. "Our food!"

"Ruining someone's lunch isn't manly, Gray!" Elfman said as he picked Gray up and threw him aside. Natsu snickered as he watched Gray get thrown from table to table. Lucy shook her head at how much enjoyment Natsu was getting from watching Gray get thrown around the guildhall.

"Enough!" Gray roared as he froze Jet and Droy who were trying to throw him away before he kicked them into separate tables. Immediately this resulted in a guild-wide brawl breaking out.

Natsu jumped in happily. He was hoping that throwing Gray away would result in a brawl. From his jump he ended up on Elfman's back, who's big arms couldn't reach the nimble Dragon Slayer. Natsu punched him a couple of times in the back of the head before someone got thrown into him, knocking him down to the floor. He got up and pounced on Max who threw Warren into him. Jet and Droy were trying to get Gray back, new members were fighting amongst each other, the original members were fighting anyone that crossed their paths. It was chaos, but it was a chaos that put the Dragon Slayer at ease.

The fighting died down after about an hour when everyone was exhausted. Natsu was exhilarated. He hadn't been part of a good guild brawl in awhile. That made him wonder why Erza let them brawl for so long. He looked around and didn't see the woman anywhere. Then he remembered, she left on a job with Wendy.

"Should we take a job, Happy?" Natsu asked as he sat at the bar.

"We can't Natsu! Charle and I are going to visit the Exceeds in two days!" Happy said excitedly.

"Oh right, I forgot" Natsu said. "Well I guess the only thing to do is go work on the project."

"Aye!" Happy said as Mira brought him another fish that he ordered. Natsu then smelled Gajeel walking towards the guild. 'Shit. Not what I wanna deal with now.' Natsu thought.

"I'll go on ahead. I'll see you at home Happy. Bye Mira, bye Lucy!" Natsu said as he got up and headed towards the back door of the guild.

"Bye" Mira said with a smile.

"You better make time for your friends soon Natsu!" Lucy called after him.

"But Natsu-!" Happy tried to argue after he finished his fish, only to realize Natsu was already gone.

"Cat" Gajeel said as he came up behind Happy. "Where's Salamander?"

"Oh, he's working on the project" Happy said.

"Tell him I'm lookin for him" Gajeel said before he made his way to where Levy and Lucy were sitting.

Happy frowned. 'Now it makes sense why Natsu left so quickly.'

Mira has been having similar thoughts. "He doesn't want to see him yet, huh?" Mira asked.

"I guess not" Happy sighed. "But I'll get him to get over it!"

"Hehehe I'm counting on you Happy" Mira said with a giggle.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered before making a beeline for the exit of the guild, intent on getting to Natsu quickly. He had two days to get Natsu to talk to Gajeel before he left for a few days, and he was going to use every minute he could.

* * *

Hope y'all enjoyed the new chapter! Please review as I enjoy reading them, and it helps remind me that other people enjoy the story! A bit of a slower chapter, but those are necessary I think. I was pretty busy the last week so I wasn't able to work on my stories like I wanted, but I should (hopefully) have some more time for writing soon enough!

See yah next chapter!


	9. The Fight

Happy had no such luck. Natsu seemed to be adamant that he wasn't ready to confront Gajeel yet. For two days Natsu avoided the guildhall as though just going there would kill him. After the first day he had even begun to avoid Happy.

Happy sighed. He knew it was his fault the Dragon Slayer was avoiding him. He pushed him too far, so Natsu did what he always did; ran before he'd say something he would regret. Happy saw it enough times to know that he had greatly upset his father figure. He was hoping that Natsu would come back before he left to go visit the Exceeds, but he didn't come home last night either.

(Flashback)

Happy had found Natsu just getting his tools out to work on the house some more. He hovered a ways above the house as he debated how to approach the topic with his father figure. He settled for the indirect approach.

"Hey Natsu" Happy said softly as he landed. "What's the plan for today?"

"I was thinking we'd try to get the rest of the second floor marked out and walls up!" Natsu said excitedly. "Just two more outside walls then we can move to the inside ones!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered as he forgot what he wanted to talk to Natsu about.

The two worked diligently together. After they were halfway done with one of the walls, Natsu showed Happy just how to use some of the tools he had and let him put up a few studs himself. When he finished, Happy looked over his handiwork with a new sense of pride he hadn't felt before.

"Great job Happy!" Natsu said enthusiastically. "I think you can finish the wall off if you want!"

"Really Natsu?!" Happy exclaimed. "I'll do my best!"

"I'm sure you'll do great!" Natsu said encouragingly. The two finished the wall off with Natsu holding the studs or headers in place, while Happy used the nail gun to nail them down. After they finished, the two went back and Happy nailed down the nailers at the base of the wall in between each of the studs.

"You did great buddy!" Natsu said happily, rubbing Happy's head affectionately. "You'll be as good as me in no time!"

"You really think so Natsu?!" Happy asked excitedly.

"Of course bud! Then you can help me repair the house if there's a bad storm or something!" Natsu said.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered.

"Ready to start the last outside wall?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"Aye sir! Can I use the gun again?" Happy asked.

"HAHA of course you can Happy!" Natsu said cheerfully. "Come on, I'll show you how to do a corner frame."

After three hours the two were done with the last exterior wall. Natsu happily showing Happy how to do anything he asked about. He also mentally kicked himself for not thinking to show Happy how to build sooner. Yeah it would've taken longer, but he'd be showing Happy how to do construction work and bonding with him at the same time. A real win-win for both of them.

As they finished up the wall, they decided to take a break and grab some waters from the cottage. They downed the water and sat back to admire their work for the day. Just as Natsu was about to get back up to put the exterior plywood on the new walls, Happy remembered his self-appointed mission.

"Oh yeah!" Happy said suddenly.

"What's up Happy?" Natsu asked.

"Gajeel told me to tell you that he's lookin for you!" Happy chirped happily. "He seemed really serious and probably wants to explain himself."

"Oh. I see" Natsu said quietly. "Well I'm not really in the mood to talk to him."

"But Natsu, He's our friend!" Happy said. "I'm sure there's a reason! Or at least let him apologize!"

"There can't be a good reason Happy! No one else really knew about me dating people except you and him!" Natsu argued. "Everyone else just believed it was people making up rumors again."

"Okay, so there isn't a good reason" Happy agreed. "But you should still hear him out! Lily made it seem like Gajeel's really been beating himself up about this!"

"And?" Natsu shot back, making Happy freeze in shock for a second. "He spilled my secrets! Why should he be upset about it? I think he's just worried I'll tell the guild all I know about him and Levy!"

"No way, Natsu!" Happy said vehemetally. "He just wants to apologize and try to make it up to you!"

"Well I don't know if he can! He betrayed my trust Happy, I don't know if I can just forgive that."

"You've forgiven people that have done a lot worse" Happy said sadly.

"Yeah, but that took time. I need time to think about how to handle this" Natsu said as he turned to go back to work.

"But that isn't fair to Gajeel if he's really as upset about this as Lily said. And Lily doesn't lie" Happy argued.

"Just drop it Happy" Natsu groaned.

"I will when you agree to talk to Gajeel" Happy said stubbornly.

"Well I'm not doing that anytime soon" Natsu said.

"That isn't fair Natsu. Since when do you not care about your friends?" Happy asked.

"What?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at Happy, shocked he would say something like that.

"You don't seem to be caring about how your friend feels! And then you haven't made time to see any of our friends at the guild. At least I go and say hi once a day! You're always working here, not caring that everyone there misses you!" Happy said.

"They don't miss me" Natsu said heatedly. "They miss their punching bag. They feel bad making fun of me if I'm not there. That's why they want me to come around again. So they can laugh at my expense!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Happy said just as heatedly. "They're used to seeing you every day and now they rarely see you! It's a big change for everyone."

"They hadn't seen us for a year before that when we were training. Then a few months later we were gone for awhile on that stupid hundred year quest."

"Yeah, and everyone said something to us about how weird it was for us to have been gone so long!" Happy said. "And now you're turning your back on a friend because you don't wanna deal with it!"

"I'm not turning my back on anyone! I'm rightfully upset! I don't have to accept his apology a few days after I find out he betrayed my trust!" Natsu roared.

"That isn't the Natsu that raised me! That told me everything would be okay as long as the guild remained together and we could work through anything even if it hurts!" Happy said angrily. "The Natsu that raised me would've talked it out to Gajeel already and wouldn't be hiding in the woods!"

"I….don't follow me" Natsu spat venomously as he sprinted away from the clearing at full speed.

It was then Happy realized just how much he had messed up. He had only wanted to help his two friends reconcile since he knew they really leaned on each other because out of everyone in the guild they understood each other the best. He didn't mean to start a fight with Natsu, and get him upset. Happy especially didn't want Natsu upset with him. Not before he was going away and wouldn't have a chance to fix this.

Happy sadly floated there, staring at the last spot he had seen Natsu before he disappeared into the tree line. He started tearing up, realizing that he had pushed Natsu way too far, and that Natsu had fled because he had really hurt his feelings.

Happy let the tears fall as he started cleaning up the tools they had used today. He got to the nail gun and started sobbing, remembering just how happy the two were when they were working together. How happy he was that Natsu was showing him how to build things. They were having such a good afternoon together, and Happy berated himself for ruining it. He finished cleaning up and then flew to the guild, hoping some fish would help soothe his hurting heart.

(Flashback End)

Happy stared at the doors longingly. He hadn't seen Natsu since their fight. There wasn't any sign that he had come home afterwards, and Happy knew that he had no chance of finding a Dragon Slayer that didn't want to be found.

Wendy approached Happy slowly. She knew just how sad the Exceed had been since his fight with Natsu. She had just gotten back to the guild when Happy had come flying in crying and asking for a fish. He also refused to tell anyone what had happened except for her and Charle, and even then they had to offer to let him stay with them before he cracked.

Wendy had no idea that Natsu and Gajeel weren't talking. But when she thought about it, it made sense. Gajeel had seemed grumpier than usual recently, and Natsu hadn't come to the guild to talk to her like she knew he would have if he wasn't upset.

"Hey Happy. Has he come home?" Wendy asked softly.

"No" Happy sniffled. "I really made him mad this time. He always comes to say bye."

"I'm sure he'll show up" Wendy said to placate the Exceed.

"Yeah….I hope so" Happy said, while mumbling the last part so Wendy almost missed it.

Wendy smiled sadly at the cat, and made her way to the counter to pick up her breakfast.

Happy had gotten to the guild as soon as it opened. The Exceeds weren't leaving until noon, but Happy was hoping to talk to his 'father' before he left. He also knew Natsu liked to take a job when he was extremely upset so he could lay into whatever and work off his negative emotions. Thus camping out at the guild gave Happy the greatest chance to catch Natsu. He just hoped Natsu showed up before he left, and not right before the guild closed for the day.

Each time the door opened, Happy would whip his head towards the door and hope Natsu would walk through the door, even if he was in the middle of a sentence. Soon enough, a good portion of the guild was wondering what the little Exceed was waiting for. They were whispering about it, taking bets about it, and just watching the Exceed each time the doors opened. There were quite a few groans when Charle came in and Happy didn't give his normal reaction to her. It seemed like a lot of people lost money on betting that it had something to do with Charle. A few more groaned when Lily, Gajeel, and Levy arrived and Happy gave no real reaction. But this made everyone in the guild wonder what was causing the Exceed such anxiety.

"Oh, it's Natsu he's waiting for" Lucy said after she thought about it.

Everyone began looking around to see if they could see their pink-haired friend. Once they realized that he wasn't in the guild, it became clear. Something about Natsu was causing Happy to have severe anxiety. This confused all of the guild members since as far as they could remember, Natsu always saw Happy off when he went away for awhile.

As noon came closer, the guild members saw Happy start to tear up. 'He really isn't coming' Happy thought sadly. The other two Exceeds put paws on Happy's shoulders in a show of support. Lily knew the two fought by now, and saw how awful that was making Happy feel. It made him think back to when he thought he saw Gajeel die right before his eyes. This made him want to support Happy even more. Especially since he knew that deep down, Happy saw Natsu as his father the same way Natsu saw Igneel as his.

Ten minutes until the Exceeds left, and still no sign of Natsu. Happy was staring at the doors, willing them to present Natsu for him. Lucy had scooped Happy into her arms and held him close, but let him see the doors from her arms. She felt it as he shuddered with silent sobs. It broke her heart to see the usually cheerful Happy reduce to a sobbing mess. She had no idea what could have happened for Natsu to ignore Happy and his traditional farewell, but she knew it had to be serious. Lucy had also put together that Happy was to blame.

Normally if Natsu had wronged Happy in some way, the Strauss sisters were the first to hear about it followed by Charle and Wendy, and then Lucy would hear about it next. He made sure to tell all of the women that would only give Natsu a good scolding and send him to apologize. The fact that Happy wasn't complaining loudly meant he had done something to upset Natsu to the point he wouldn't show up. Everyone could see that it was also tearing the poor cat up inside.

"Alright Happy, Charle, do you have everything together?" Lily asked as he put his pack on. He had only packed kiwis as the other Exceeds were always gracious hosts to their own kind and would provide anything for the trio when they arrived.

"Yes, I'm just finishing my goodbyes" Charle said before casting Happy a sympathic glance. "I'll be ready in two minutes."

Happy said nothing. He just let his head, ears, and tail drop to the lowest they could go and turned in Lucy's embrace to hug her tightly. He took a little comfort from smelling her scent as she held him tightly.

"You'll be okay" Lucy whispered to him as she let him go. Happy nodded and flew over to the Strauss sisters that were at the bar with tears in their eyes. They had never seen Happy so torn up over something before and it broke their hearts. Especially his 'mother's' heart.

Happy flew into Lisanna's chest softly. He wanted to curl up into the comfort of her familiar scent and cry, but he didn't want to hold the other two Exceeds back. He held on to her tightly and she reciprocated with the same amount of emotion.

"It'll be okay Happy" Lisanna said comfortingly.

"Yeah" Mira said in a motherly tone as she reached out and pet the Exceed right behind his ears since that was his favorite spot. "This will all blow over in no time, you'll see."

"I-I don't think so" Happy said sadly. "I really messed up."

"I'll talk to him Happy" Mira said soothingly as a couple tears slipped down her face. "This was all my fault anyway."

"No Mira, it was mine" Happy mumbled. He then released Lisanna and she let go too. He floated towards the other two Exceeds. Wendy hugged him quickly and slid an extra two fish in his backpack before she released him. Happy gave her a watery smile then turned to his companions.

"Let's go" Happy said, hoping reuniting with his actual parents would help him feel better.

The three flew outside the guild and made their way around the building when they came upon a familiar figure. There was Natsu, waiting for them, for _him_.

"Couldn't let you go without saying goodbye" Natsu said with a soft smile as he pushed off the building he was leaning against. Happy immediately teared up and flew at Max Speed into Natsu's chest. Natsu somewhat expected it, but didn't brace himself enough to not get sent tumbling along with Happy.

"NATSU!" Happy wailed. "I'm so sorry Natshu! I knew you were still upset and I pushed you! I said horrible things to you! Please! Please forgive me!"

"Of course Happy" Natsu said as he wrapped his arms around Happy. "I can't ever stay mad at you. We were both tired and let things get out of hand."

"I won't try to make you do anything you don't want to do anymore! I'll respect your decisions from here on!" Happy wailed into Natsu's chest.

"Hey buddy, I need you to disagree with me sometimes" Natsu said softly with his usual grin. "You help me figure things out too ya know?"

"O-okay Natsu" Happy said as he calmed down. "But not about your feelings like this again."

"Alright bud" Natsu said with a soft smile. "I'm glad I caught you before you left."

"Me too" Happy said with a watery smile. "We're friends forever, right Natsu?"

"You can bet your life on it" Natsu said determinedly. The short conversation caused Charle to tear up as she smiled and Pantherlily to grin widely. "Now get going Happy. Don't want to keep the others waiting on you guys right?"

"Aye sir!" Happy said as he hugged Natsu one last time before turning to the other two. They nod at him and they all begin to fly passed Natsu. Charle gave him a small smile and Lily gave him a nod before the three took to the skies.

Natsu kept his grin as he watched the three until he couldn't see them anymore. After that he let it fall into a grimace. He had a good idea the other Dragon Slayers had caught his scent by now, so he had to move quickly if he wanted to get back to the training he had been doing the past day. During his argument with Happy he realized he was going to say something awful towards his little buddy, so he ran. Then once he was sure no one would be able to find him he destroyed his body with a crazy amount of training.

He'd train until he dropped, rest for an hour and do it again. He had done this cycle for so long that he had eventually passed out. Luckily Natsu woke up before noon and he rushed to see his little buddy off. But now that that was taken care of and he had reconciled with his son, Natsu was frantic to make his getaway. He still had no intentions of confronting Gajeel, as the wound was too fresh still. He didn't want to snap at Gajeel and make the slight rift between them bigger.

Natsu had every intention of forgiving Gajeel. He had gone over the argument with Happy in his head when he was taking his rests and realized the Exceed had been right. Normally he wouldn't have a problem forgiving someone over something like this. He also realized that the reason he was so angry with Gajeel was simply because he viewed him as a sibling. That feeling led to the way Gajeel had just carelessly, in Natsu's opinion, let the secret of him dating out hurting him more than it would if he had been found out an other way.

Natsu decided that the next day he'd ask Wendy to take a mission and when he got back he'd talk to the Iron Dragon Slayer. With that in mind he fled back towards his cottage. He got there and realized he was even more exhausted than he thought. Probably had something to do with the fact he barely ate the day before. Add that to the fact that he sorely needed a drink of water, and you have an exhausted Dragon.

Natsu walked into his cottage and subconsciously noted that Happy hadn't stayed here while he was away, but had stopped by. He nearly tore the fridge door off and chugged three water bottles before he took to looking for food. The group hadn't finished everything the other day, so he had leftovers from the guild, and some steaks frozen in the freezer waiting for him. He lit the oven and stuffed the leftovers in to heat up. He then prepped the meat first by thawing it by raising his body temperature. Natsu was so tired even this small bit of magic caused him to waver slightly.

He got the meat thawed in no time, though, and began seasoning it. He just wanted to eat so he threw some garlic and salt on the meat before starting up the stovetop and throwing the meat on the pan after buttering it. The worst part about cooking, for Natsu, was that the smell always made him drool excessively in anticipation. He finished cooking and heating his meal and gladly grabbed a few plates before he cumped all of the food on to them and sat down to eat. He had grabbed a few more waters that he knew he needed. He set everything down at the table before he admired his handiwork. The meat looked to be cooked to perfection, and Mira's food looked as good as it always did. Natsu dug into his food with gusto, while also making sure to keep his food in his mouth because he didn't want to waste any and he didn't want to have to clean up any flying food particles. Natsu only really wanted to eat, drop his dishes in the sink, shower, and head to bed. He had a feeling Wendy would be at the guild early tomorrow so he planned on heading there to meet up with her. He just hoped that there was a job that would keep them away from the guild for at least a day.

The next day Natsu woke up with a content sigh. His hammock was _way_ more comfortable than the ground of the cave he had collapsed in. He'd prefer a bed, but he didn't want to buy one until the new house was finished. Natsu even thought about buying a toddler bed for Happy, or maybe a crib. Fish shaped of course.

Natsu forewent his morning workout since he was still a little tired and got ready to head to the guild. He hoped Wendy would be up to going on a short job with him. He knew she didn't like to go places without Charle.

Natsu entered the guild without his usual kick, but he felt eyes on him as soon as he came into view of his guild mates. He wasn't a huge fan of this kind of attention, but he decided to ignore them and grinned.

"Good morning everyone!" Natsu called out. Everyone responded as they usually did and Natsu made his way to the bar to get some food in him. He didn't smell Wendy's scent yet, so he knew he beat her in.

"Good morning Natsu" Mira said with a small smile.

"Hey Mira! Can I have some steak and eggs with hot sauce?" Natsu asked.

"Coming right up!" Mira said as she disappeared into the kitchen. Natsu felt two presences behind him, so he swung the stool around.

"Morin Lucy, Lisanna. What's up?" Natsu asked.

"Good morning Natsu" the two said.

"Natsu, why was Happy so upset yesterday?" Lucy asked, deciding that being blunt would be best. Lisanna nodded showing she wanted to know too.

"Oh, we got into a fight the other day. I went to cool off and ended up overdoing it. I passed out and almost missed him leaving" Natsu said.

"Oh, you were here yesterday?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah I met them outside. We said our goodbyes and then I went back home to finally eat something and pass out. I was out until this morning" Natsu said.

"You mean you didn't eat at all two days ago?!" Lisanna cried.

"Well….no?" Natsu said hesitantly.

"Natsu! That isn't healthy!" Mira scolded as she came back with his food.

"I'm fine. It was the water I kind of needed" Natsu said offhandedly as he began eating. He was too engrossed in his meal to understand he just got the three women upset with him.

"You didn't drink water?!" Lucy asked.

"Oh shit" Natsu mumbled to himself. He just realized what he did. Luckily he used his food as a way of not answering as he scarfed the rest down. Mira tried to pry the dish away from him and the other two tried to force him to sit up, but to no avail. He was physically stronger than all of them.

Natsu finished his food and smelt Wendy and Erza enter the guild. He released his muscles and all three women nearly went flying comically.

"Thanks for the food Mira! It was great as usual!" Natsu called to her as he bounded his way over to Wendy. The three girls sqwauked in protest as Natsu ran away.

"Wendy!" Natsu called out. Wendy turned and smiled at the Dragon Slayer but then remembered what she wanted to talk to him about as Erza stepped into her line of sight.

"Natsu" Erza said as he came to a stop before the two women.

"Oh, hey Erza! What's up?" Natsu asked.

"I heard you wanted to form a team with Wendy. You know she's already on a team right? And yet you still asked her to be on one with you. We can only be on one active team at a a time. You can take missions with Wendy once in awhile but she and I are teammates, so just keep that in mind" Erza said as Natsu visibly deflated. Wendy felt horrible. She didn't tell Erza that it was Natsu's idea, but she just believed it to be when she heard that Wendy might be forming a team with him.

"I'm sorry Natsu" Wendy said as Erza walked away. Wendy found her shoes extremely interesting. "I didn't tell her it was my idea and you got yelled at."

"Nah it's alright Wendy" Natsu said with a forced grin. "I shoulda known since I've been in the guild longer and it's a rule. Anyway, are you and Erza goin on a job? I need to get outta here for a day or so and was hoping you'd like to go on a job with me."

"Erza said she wanted to take a break for a few days so I can go with you!" Wendy said happily.

"Great!" Natsu said before he was grabbed by his scarf and forced to look at the upset face of his best friend.

"Natsu, you have to take better care of yourself!" Lucy scolded. "Not eating or drinking for a day can really mess you up, especially if you're training like I think you were!"

"I know Lucy. Sorry to make you worry" Natsu said.

"It's okay" Lucy sighed. "Just take better care of yourself."

"Oh, Lucy! Wanna come on a job with us?" Natsu asked hopefully.

"A job?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah! Natsu and I were going to go pick one out that should only take a day or two!" Wendy said happily.

"Yeah, let me just tell Dan and pack" Lucy said with a smile.

"Come help us pick the job first, yah weirdo" Natsu said teasingly. Wendy giggled and Lucy tried to keep the grin off her face. It felt so...right to be going on a job with Natsu again.

"Okay, let's go look at what the board has to offer today!" Lucy said happily as the three made their way over to the job board.

* * *

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this out! I work in the trades and everyone in my family is doing work on their houses, so of course I was volunteered to do the work. I also had a test on the 6th that decides whether I get a raise or not, so I've been busy studying when I could since it was pushed up two months. But now that most of the stressful stuff is outta the way for a bit, I'm gonna try to write as often as I can. Also decided to start doing everything after the story since I have a feeling not everyone wants to see the extra notes and stuff. If you'd rather me go back let me know! And even if you don't care, review! Even if its constructive criticism! Actually, especially if its constructive criticism!

Zolf Edward Elric- Yeah, but I feel kinda bad about releasing em and worry that they won't be liked because there isn't really much to go on.

Nise no kishi- Yeah, she can be a bit hard-headed. She also strikes me as the type to get one thing in her head and running with it.

Ultimatrix bearer- Yeah it was one of the things I didn't like about the series. It was also the reason I thought about making this fic in the first place.

GreekfanFT- I'm glad you like it so much! I'm trying to make the FT universe and characters the best i can, but this is just my view so I'm sure some people don't like it that much.

AbyssalVelocity- Have no fear, I won't abandon this. I have the entire outline laid out, and hopefully I have a little more free time to pour into this like I want to. If I do have to take a break though, I'll put it in a note or something.

Jose884- No worries! I can read Spanish somewhat well. And if I can't understand something, there's always translators online!

See yah next chapter!


	10. Forgiveness

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

Natsu took a deep breath once he got off the train (Lucy begged him not to shout when they got off). Now was the moment of truth. He'd had his fun, and had time to get over Gajeel's breach of trust. Natsu still planned on making Gajeel work for his forgiveness, but only in the way they would understand.

Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy quickly walked all the way to the front door of the guild. Their job had taken an unexpected two days, when they thought it would've only been, at most, one. The two girls paused behind Natsu, knowing he liked to kicked the door in and not wanting to ruin his moment. The last time someone did, he moped about for almost an hour.

"We made it back!" Natsu yelled as he kicked the doors in.

"Natsu!" Makarov yelled. Natsu yelped and hid behind Lucy for safety.

"Y-yes Gramps?" Natsu asked meekly.

"You've got another special request for this Friday. Your lady-in-waiting has requested your presence again" Makarov said with a grin. What better way to punish the boy for continuing to kick in the doors than to let the girls interrogate him for information?

Natsu paled to a Juvia level of white and turned to run, but he was immediately grabbed by Lucy. When he turned his head back he saw Erza wasn't far off and even Wendy looked interested enough to stop him. He didn't even have to look to know the Strauss sisters were going to be joining in on the fun. Mira would probably be leading the interrogation, or trading off with Erza. Just that thought alone made him sweat profusely.

"Sorry everyone! I just remembered I have somewhere to be!" Natsu said as he tried to break out of Lucy's iron grip. He made little progress before Erza clamped down on his shoulder. "No! It's just a client! Please let me go! Help!"

The other guys just went about their business and purposely avoided making eye contact with the Dragon Slayer. Some were even whistling a tune or pretending to read a book. The only guy willing to make eye contact with him was Makarov and Natsu could see he had an evil twinkle in his eye. That old man was enjoying this!

"Natsu" Erza said tersely. With that Natsu knew his fate was sealed. The last thing the citizens of Magnolia saw before the doors closed ominously was a crying Dragon Slayer.

The next thing Natsu knew, he was tied up and sitting in a chair with the only light in the room trained on him. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, he heard the door open. Natsu could smell the scents of a few of his female guildmates, and most made him fearful for his life. Especially Laki and her twisted obsession with torture tools. Which was the main reason he stayed far away from her during any guild brawls so he wouldn't have to suffer her wrath. He'd heard stories and they weren't pretty.

"Now Natsu" Erza said once he started struggling against his restraints. "You're going to tell us all about this girlfriend you've kept from us."

"I-I-I don't have a g-girlfriend!" Natsu whimpered. "She's a friend that I did an escort job for." ' _They don't need to know it was an escort to a fancy party.'_

"Oh? And when did you do this escort job?" Mira chimed in. Natsu paled. Turns out his thoughts on them passing on and off were right.

"I-it was one of my requested jobs" Natsu said as he looked at the floor.

"Is he telling the truth, Wendy?" Erza asked and Natsu nearly had a heart attack. ' _They remember that we can hear heartbeats?!'_

"U-um….it's k-kinda hard to t-tell. His heart's been beating fast since he got here" Wendy's voice sounded bashful.

"Probably because he's been thinking that we're going to torture him or something. I told you guys that we should just ask him" he heard Lucy say.

"Where's the fun in that?" Laki sounded from right behind Natsu, making him sweat profusely. "This way we can punish him if he lies to us. Just like they did in that movie with the bottomless chair and the mace."

Natsu felt weak. He could only imagine how those two things went together and he nearly passed out as he knew Erza would be the one swinging the mace.

"Now that's going a little far, no?" Lisanna's voice rang out hurriedly. "Besides, it looks like Mira remembers the job he's talking about."

"Oh, I do. Natsu has been wooing the daughter of a duke and didn't tell us!" Mira sang happily.

"I have not!" Natsu cried out. "I just did a job for her!" But it was too late. The girls were all talking amongst themselves now and he could hear that only a few believed him. "When have I ever lied to anyone? I'm tellin the truth!"

This caused the girls to pause. "He's right" Levy said from near where Lucy was standing. "I can't remember Natsu ever lying about anything. He omits information, but never lies."

"Thank you Levy. Now can I go?" Natsu asked as he started struggling against his restraints again. There was no response for a few minutes. Natsu guessed they were doing that silent conversation thing the girls in his guild did.

"Fine" Erza sighed in defeat. "But if you want to pursue her-"

"Nope! No intention of pursuin anyone!" Natsu said quickly which got him cuffed on the back of his head by a metal fist.

"Don't interrupt people when they're talking" Erza said before she began untying him.

"S-sorry" Natsu said. Once he was free he immediately stood up and stretched. Someone turned the lights on and he saw a majority of the girls from the guild were there. ' _Why are they all here? No way they find me having a girlfriend_ that _interesting.'_

Along with seeing the girls that were gathered, Natsu also saw the door and bolted towards it. ' _No way am I staying in this crazy room anymore_.'

"Natsu, wait!" Lucy called out.

"Not a chance in hell!" Natsu said as he barreled through the door and ran back in the direction of the main hall. ' _I'd rather ride a train for six hours than be locked in that room again.'_

"You look like shit flame-brain" Gray said when Natsu reappeared in the main area.

"Yeah well you go be strapped to a chair with them and see how you feel!" Natsu yelled as he moved to the booth in the far corner. He just ducked under the table when Lucy, Lisanna, Levy, and Juvia came running out.

"Natsu!" Lisanna called out. "We're sorry it got a little out of hand, but with all of these rumors we're hearing-"

"Lisanna!" Natsu heard Lucy whisper. "He doesn't like talking about that stuff!"

"Oh" Lisanna said slightly panicked. "I forgot."

Natsu decided to pretend he didn't hear that and said, "a little?! Laki said she wanted to crush my nuts with a mace!" He watched with a little bit of glee and all the men shivered and unconsciously covered their jewels.

"That was uncalled for... but Lucy, Lisanna, Levy, and Juvia would never let that happen!" Juvia said as they tried to pinpoint where his voice came from. She saw Gray give her a quick nod towards the corner.

"Traitor!" Natsu yelled as he exploded from his hiding spot and lunged at Gray to give him a flaming punch.

"The hell?" Gray yelled as he got out of the table he crashed into.

"Gajeel! Meet me later!" Natsu called out before he sprinted towards the doors and was out of the guild with Happy on his heels.

Everyone that was left in the guild turned to look at Gajeel.

"What?" Gajeel asked.

"What was that about?" Levy asked.

"Don't worry Shrimp" Gajeel said. "Salamander wants ta meet up. I'll find out later."

"Oh… okay" Levy said.

"Are you two going to spar?" Wendy asked.

"Spar? And I'm not invited?! Bullshit!" Gray said angrily.

"I don't know" Gajeel said, ignoring Gray. "Like I said, I'll find out later."

"O-oh. Okay" Wendy said.

"Where will you meet? He didn't say" Lucy asked.

"Where we usually meet probably" Gajeel answered.

"Where is that tin-head?" Gray spat.

"That's only for us to know, gihi" Gajeel said before he put his head down on the table.

"No fair!" A few guildmates called out.

 **(With Natsu)**

"So you're gonna talk to Gajeel?" Happy asked as he flew next to Natsu.

"Yeah. I figured everythin out….mostly" Natsu said sheepishly.

"That's good!" Happy said with a huge smile.

"I guess. What you told me the other day really helped" Natsu said with a grin.

"Really?" Happy asked with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah! You were right….but I was right too" Natsu said.

"I know" Happy said quietly.

"But thanks for tryin to help, Happy. I just needed time to be mad for a bit. But throwin those bandits around really helped. The findin the stolen goods afterwards helped too I guess" Natsu grumbled.

Happy laughed at that. He knew that Natsu probably wished that they could have just beat the bad guys up and left. "It was part of the job Natsu."

"How would you know? You weren't even there!" Natsu said.

"Because Wendy told me and Charle about it quickly before they let the other girls into the room with you" Happy replied.

"Oh" Natsu said simply before turning his attention to what he wanted to do before he went to go meet with Gajeel. "Whaddya think Happy, should we go work on The Project for a little or should we relax?"

"Hmm" Happy said as he adopted the "thinker" pose. "I think we should~... work on The Project!"

"You got it!" Natsu said and he picked up his pace a little bit to head towards their new house.

Once there, they took a good look around their work site. "Maybe we should clean up a little bit before we go crazy with the new stuff" Natsu suggested.

"Whatever you say boss" Happy said with a cheeky grin, causing Natsu to laugh.

"HAHA good. A little clean up then we can start puttin up the interior walls together" Natsu said with a smile.

"Okay!" Happy said before he stopped and looked at Natsu hopefully. "Can I help again today?"

"Yeah bud. You can nail down most of the studs if you want. I don't know how much we're gonna get done before I go see Gajeel but let's hit it."

For the next twenty minutes they cleaned up their worksite. Mainly it was just sweeping up wood chips into piles.

"Alright" Natsu said as he clapped. "Let's get to work!"

"Aye Sir!" Happy replied and the two made their way down to the basement to gather what they'd need for the afternoon.

Happy got to use the nail gun again and Natsu held the studs, nailers, and headers in place. They managed to get the walls up for a good portion of the bedrooms and bathrooms before it got dark.

"Yo, Happy let's call it a day" Natsu said as they finished framing for a bedroom door.

"Aye" Happy said tiredly. "You gonna talk to Gajeel today?"

"Yeah" Natsu said softly. "After dinner I'm gonna go to our spot."

"I'm surprised no one else has found it yet" Happy said as they began putting their tools away.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"You guys leave a _huge_ amount of destruction there" Happy deadpanned. "Anyone could see the scorch marks and iron and guess what happened."

"Heheheh" Natsu laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, we don't really hold back."

"No kidding. Lily and I have had to take cover a few times when we go watch you two fight" Happy said with a grin.

"We don't fight Happy, we spar" Natsu said before looking away sheepishly after the look Happy shot him. "Alright, alright I get it."

"Do you really forgive Gajeel?" Happy asked softly after a minute of silence.

"Yeah" Natsu said. "I don't think he did it to hurt me. It probably slipped out or somethin."

"That's what I think too" Happy said with a smile.

"Now what do you want to do for dinner?" Natsu asked as he and Happy made their way back to their cottage.

"Fish!" Happy cheered excitedly.

"HAHAHA anythin with it?" Natsu asked.

"Hmmm… nope!" Happy said cheerfully.

"Happy, you know you gotta eat some vegetables sometimes. What do you want me to make?" Natsu asked again seriously.

Happy sighed. "Broccoli I guess" Happy grumbled.

"Alright! Fish, rice, and broccoli comin up!" Natsu said happily as they entered the cottage. Natsu headed straight for their refrigerator and Happy flew to sit on an armchair. "Yo, Happy."

"What's up Natsu?" Happy asked.

"You want me to show you how to make the rice?" Natsu asked as he smiled. His smile became face-splitting when Happy bolted over to him.

"Oh yeah!" Happy said excitedly.

"Alright, here's what you do first…" Natsu began. He walked Happy through their entire meal and when it was done, both were pleased with how it came out. Even with Happy feeling that if the fish were raw they'd have tasted better, he had to admit the dinner was delicious.

"Imagine everyone's reactions if they found out you can cook" Happy chuckled as he ate his food.

"HAHAHA they'd all probably think they went crazy or something" Natsu laughed. Happy joined him and they quickly quieted down and began devouring their dinners.

"Can you clean up bud? It's about time to meet up with Gajeel" Natsu said.

"Of course Natsu!" Happy nodded. "Do you want me to head over when I'm done?"

"Nah" Natsu said as he stood up and cracked his back. "It'll probably be a rough night so it'd be best if you stayed home or went to see Wendy and Charle or Lucy or Lisanna."

"Aye" Happy said. "I'll head to the guild then."

"Good. Alright, I'm off!" Natsu called out as he began running away from the cottage.

"Goodluck Natsu!" Happy yelled before he closed the door and began washing the dishes.

Natsu came up to the clearing on the opposite side of Magnolia from his house. Just as Happy described it, there was turned up rock, mounds of dirt, almost permanent scorch marks, pieces of iron, and iron poles scattered throughout the field. Natsu knew Gajeel was there. He'd smelled him as soon as he left the edge of town.

Sure enough, Gajeel was sitting on a dirt mound, staring at the ground intently. Natsu could tell he was lost in thought, probably trying to figure out how to apologize without actually saying the words.

"Yo" Natsu said as he came up on Gajeel, causing said man to jump slightly.

"Salamander" Gajeel said with a nod.

"Get up" Natsu ordered as he walked a few paces back the way he came and cracked his knuckles.

"You sure you want some of this, Salamander?" Gajeel said with a grin. Natsu mirrored the grin before responding.

"Let's hope you can keep up" Nats said cockily. They were both sizing the other up, trying to figure out how the other was going to start off. They had fought so many times they each knew how the other preferred to start, but they'd been thrown off-balance by the other before.

"And none of this "I have to take a beatin to apologize" bullshit you pull" Natsu said.

"Like I'd let _you_ walk away without a thrashin" Gajeel taunted.

Natsu exploded forward, using his fire to propel himself faster. Gajeel hadn't expected this right away so he barely countered and matched Natsu's fist with his own. The two grinned at each other again, then started exchanging blows. Neither were using magic for now, but because of their strength boosted by their magic, the blows were still pretty heavy. Luckily for both, the durability granted them by their magic counter-acted the blows so when they separated they barely had any bruises.

"Nice warm-up" Natsu said as he cracked his neck.

"Gihi" Gajeel said as he licked his lips. " **Iron Dragon's Scales"**

"Gettin serious already?" Natsu asked as he grinned.

"Let's see your puny punches get through my scales" Gajeel said before launching forward.

Natsu lit his hands on fire and limited himself to 75% of his power. He and Gajeel tried not to go all-out when they fought, but they didn't like going only half-strength.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"** Natsu said as he swung his fist to meet Gajeel's.

" **Iron Dragon's Hard Fist"** Gajeel retaliated.

" **Fire Dragon's Claw"** Natsu said as he spun, throwing Gajeel slightly off-balance as Natsu brought his foot around.

" **Iron Dragon's Sword"** Gajeel said as he held his arm up to block the kick. He also shot iron spikes out of his heels to keep himself close to Natsu.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"** Natsu said as he pressed his attack. This time he managed to make contact with Gajeel's cheek as instead of a real punch, Natsu backhanded Gajeel and sent him back quite a bit.

"Gihi" Gajeel laughed as he wiped the slight amount of blood that trickled out of his mouth.

"So why'd you do it?" Natsu said as he launched himself at Gajeel again. The two began trading punches and kicks backed by their magic. Natsu's clothes, minus his scarf, began getting slightly torn. Gajeel's became slightly burnt.

"I-I don't know" Gajeel said honestly as he got a good shot in on Natsu's chest.

"Not good enough!" Natsu retaliated as he gathered his magic. " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame"**

Gajeel jumped up into the air to avoid the explosion of flames. Natsu expected this, though, and had already launched another into the air. Gajeel took the second explosion head on, with only his arms, turned into swords, crossed in front of himself as defense. Gajeel went flying and formed a nice crater where he landed. He got out of the crater and stared Natsu down.

"It just slipped out, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop myself" Gajeel said as he looked down at his feet. "I got a hold of myself before I could give times and numbers, but it was already too late."

Gajeel's head snapped back up and he launched himself back at Natsu. Natsu readied his defense, but he had nothing prepared when an iron pole came exploding from the ground underneath him. It shot up and nailed him in the jaw.

" **Iron Dragon's Hard Fist"** Gajeel said as he slammed his fist forward into Natsu's stomach. This sent him flying into a tree and forced him to cough up a bunch of spit. Natsu got back up to his feet and started making his way back towards Gajeel.

He knew Gajeel would want to use his Roar, so he was serpentining. To keep him off-balance, Natsu spat out small fireballs towards Gajeel. Once he was in range, Natsu used his greater agility to move around Gajeel until he saw an opening. " **Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang"** Natsu called out as he slammed into Gajeel's oblique, burning his clothes in that spot and breaking his scales.

"Gah" Gajeel called out. Natsu didn't hold anything back with that strike. He saw it as Gajeel getting some punishment. When Gajeel stood up straight, Natsu could see he had burned the skin under the scales too.

"Not holdin back anymore, eh?" Gajeel said as he gingerly touched his new burn.

"Just a little taste of _real_ power" Natsu taunted as he got into an athletic stance. Gajeel's eyes widened a little at seeing the stance, and he mimicked it.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar"**

" **Iron Dragon's Roar"**

The two attacks collided and both stopped suppressing any power. The attacks became dangerously big, but Natsu started pushing more into it and overpowered Gajeel's Roar slowly.

Gajeel cut his roar as he rolled out of the way and sent some of his " **Iron Dragon's Demon Logs"** towards Natsu. Luckily for Natsu, he put enough power into his Roar that it melted and slowed the Logs until they proved to be no danger to him. He cut his roar and sped towards Gajeel again.

"But why share anythin about me anyway?" Natsu asked as he closed in.

"The demon and the drunk were talkin about yah when I went up to get some food" Gajeel said as he leaped backwards. "The drunk said somethin and I said that she'd went on a date with yah. I thought the demon knew about it already."

"She normally would, but Cana and I kept it under wraps pretty well I think" Natsu said as he closed in again. The two exchanged blows before separating again, beginning to pant.

"Obviously" Gajeel said as the two closed in again.

Natsu dodged to the right of Gajeel's fist. " **Fire Dragon's Flaming Elbow"** Natsu said as he struck the opening in Gajeel's scales again.

" **Fire Dragon King Mode"** Natsu said before Gajeel could recover. Gajeel felt the difference in Magic and his eyes widened considerably. He barely had time to register how screwed he was before Natsu was on him.

" **Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist"**

" **Fire Dragon King's Wing Attack"**

" **Fire Dragon King's Crushing Fang"**

With that last spell Natsu le his magic die down and, panting, he sat next to the burned Gajeel. His scales had held up well, but not well enough to escape the thrashing. He was definitely going to feel that tomorrow. Nevermind...he was feeling it now.

Gajeel coughed up some spit mixed with a little blood as he sat up gingerly. The two sat side-by-side as they looked up at the stars in companionable silence.

"Listen….Salamander….for what it's worth, I'm sorry" Gajeel said without looking at Natsu. Natsu looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "I know how hard it is for us to trust anyone, and I just spilled stuff you trusted me with. I've been disgusted with myself, and I figured that you heard from the demon that I spilled when you began avoidin me. You...you and the kid are the two I feel most comfortable around besides Levy. Is there anythin I can do to fix this?"

Natsu hummed as he thought. "I don't know. The damage's kinda been done. But I do forgive you." Gajeel's eyes widened and he stared at Natsu. "Yeah it sucks that my private life has been made into gossip at the guildhall, but it's happened to almost everyone else too. It's just my turn now... Anyway, I hope we can get back to where we were before all this happened, but I don't know if it'll be any time soon."

"I getcha" Gajeel said.

"And don't worry about me givin out info for revenge. That would end up hurtin Levy too and I don't want that. I don't really wanna hurt either of yah" Natsu said.

"I never thought yah would" Gajeel mumbled, but Natsu heard him. The two sat in silence for a bit.

"What else did you tell them?" Natsu asked, as he was curious.

"That I was able to get yah drunk enough to spill some secrets. So watch out for a few of em tryin that" Gajeel said solemnly.

"HAHAHA they still believe I can't get drunk?" Natsu asked with a laugh.

"Gihihi. yep. You should've seen their faces when I told em I got you drunk. They looked like their world was bein turned upside down" Gajeel said with a laugh.

"Well I guess I'll be on my toes around booze for awhile then" Natsu said with a grin.

"Gihihihi" Gajeel laughed in response. The two fell into companionable silence again as they collected their thoughts.

"Anythin new goin on with you?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah. I found out we're havin a boy!" Gajeel said excitedly. "Levy don't wanna know before we do a reveal, but I _had_ to know!"

"Congrats man" Natsu said as he grinned and Gajeel nodded in response. It slowly dropped, though as Natsu adopted a thoughtful look. "When are you two gettin married?"

"Huh?" Gajeel asked smartly.

"Marriage" Natsu said plainly.

"Oh...after the kid's born. Levy doesn't want a baby bump or "a stomach as big as she is", in her words, on her big day" Gajeel said as he smiled fondly.

"I'm glad she chose you. You've been good for each other" Natsu said after a minute. Gajeel nodded in response again.

"I'm just glad she saved me from who I was. Now I can walk beside her for the rest of our lives" Gajeel said with a grin.

"Heh…" Gajeel looked over to see Natsu covering his mouth with his hand and his cheeks puffed out.

"What?!" Gajeel snapped.

"When did you get all sappy?" Natsu asked as he lost it and started laughing like crazy.

"Shut up!" Gajeel said embarrassedly, although he did grin when he turned away, happy the two could still have times like this. It showed him that Natsu really did forgive him for his mistake.

"You should tell everyone that you're together you know" Natsu said after he calmed down. "And that you're livin together."

"Everyone already knows we're together" Gajeel argued.

"Yeah, but neither of you have confirmed anythin!" Natsu shot back. "Just make it official, live through the guild party celebratin it, and then buy Levy a ring. Get Juvia to help yah pick a good one."

"Yer probably right, Salamander. I'm sure Shrimp would like it if we were official too" Gajeel said after thinking about it.

"Yeah. I've heard her talking to Lucy about how she doesn't mind, but she feels like she's hidin something from her friends and it makes her a little uncomfortable" Natsu said as he got up.

Gajeel hummed in response and got up slowly as well. "Oi, Salamander."

"Hmm?" Natsu hummed.

"You tell anyone about this and I'll kill yah" Gajeel said. Natsu grinned.

"I'd like to see you try metal-face" Natsu taunted back before the two started laughing.

"Seriously though" Gajeel said as they began walking back to town. "Shrimp doesn't expect an engagement, so keep that to yourself. Don't even tell Bunny girl or the kid."

"You got it" Natsu nodded. "And seriously, I'm sure Juvia can help you choose a nice ring. I've got a couple different jewels at home so once you find one you think she'd like, make it for her out of your iron and whichever jewel you think she'd like best. I think she'd like that more than a bought ring."

"You may be onto somethin there Salamander" Gajeel said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The two walked on lost in their own thoughts for a bit. Right before they came up to where they normally part, Gajeel decided to tell Natsu something he'd been thinking of for awhile.

"Yo" Gajeel said to get Natsu's attention. "You should maybe look into finding a girlfriend. I think there's a few in the guild that would date yah."

"Not right now" Natsu said with a slight smile. "I have a few more adventures to go on before I think about it seriously now. Especially since I'm flyin solo again."

"I'd go on some jobs with yah if you wanted" Gajeel offered. It was really a win-win for both. They'd get to take harder jobs and they fought togeether really well.

"I might have to take you up on that" Natsu said with a grin as he held his hand up. Gajeel laughed as he grabbed it.

"Lookin forward to bustin some heads with yah again" Gajeel said before he let go and turned to go back to his and Levy's apartment.

"Later" Natsu called out over his shoulder as he turned towards his house too.

* * *

 **Over 100 Followers! Thanks a lot everyone!**

 **Just to be clear, if I was asked to pick a favorite Fairy Tail character based solely on the anime/manga, I'd have to say Gajeel. He had the most character development, in my opinion, throughout the entire series. Plus he can be just as goofy and reckless as the rest. Thoughts? I'd like to see who everyone's favorite character from the series is and why. Or favorite male** _ **and**_ **favorite female if you're feeling generous. And Gajeel calling Levy by name was on purpose. I feel like he would use her actual name with her at this point, and the nickname is more for show.**

 **Once again, work has been getting hectic and I haven't been able to dedicate enough time to my writing, but I'm trying. For those that read my other story, just know that I'm researching a lot for it and that's why that one is taking me longer to push out. Reviews are always welcome, and they let me know you guys are enjoying my work, or if I could be/do better so by all means….review!**

 **See yah next chapter!**

 **Ushindeshi- Thanks! I hope I continue to make you want more.**

 **Ultimatrix bearer- I haven't read that yet, but it sounds interesting! And yeah, but (unfortunately) Natsu's gotten used to it. Gildarts, I figure, would've left again on another adventure before he called it quits and just took to hangin around the guild hall.**

 **Zolf Edward Elric- Thanks, it means a lot. Especially since you constantly review. I don't really feel pressured to write, but as much as you guys want to read what's next, I want the story to continue too!**

 **Jose884- Yeah, I wanted to show that even two as close as Natsu and Happy could have their spats. I think the series did a good showing of this, but it was always about fish. So I made their newest fight a little more serious than that.**


	11. In Sickness

**Just want to take a minute to thank everyone reading this, and an extra thank you to anyone who reviewed! The feedback makes me feel good, but if you see something you don't like or think could be better don't hesitate to comment!**

 **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

Natsu was walking up to the estate. He was contracted to be Rebecca's date for some fancy party again. Well, the request said 'escort' like he was supposed to be guarding her, but he knew better. At the last event she made him dance with her all night and not-so-subtly hinted that she'd like to be in a relationship with him. He turned her down gently, but it seemed she wasn't the type to give up on what she wants.

Natsu was told to just bring himself as they had his measurements and would have a suit made for him when he arrived. He was also told to get there a day early so they could give him more lessons on how to dance and ballroom etiquette, much to his chagrin. So with a less-than-pleased attitude, and a forced grin, Natsu rang the doorbell.

"Ah, Mr. Dragneel" The butler who answered the door said. "It's a pleasure to have you back. Lady Rebecca has been looking forward to seeing you again."

"It's good to be here" Natsu half-lied. "Keepin in contact through letters isn't the same as in person."

"Yes, the Lady said the same" The butler replied. "Do come in, I've been told to take you to the waiting room."

"Thanks" Natsu said as he followed the butler towards the room. He saw maids and other servants bustling around to clean the already spotless house and trim the garden when he passed a window. Natsu couldn't understand the draw of having so many people working for you. ' _Must be a show of money thing'_ Natsu mused to himself.

"Here we are" the butler said as they entered a room nearly the size of Natsu's new first floor. "Sit anywhere you like. A few things have been laid out for you to snack on while you wait, but Lady Rebecca should be right down."

"Thanks" Natsu said with a grin. One that only got wider as he saw the food laid out for him was almost a buffet. Rebecca must have remembered how much he can eat. The butler bowed and made his exit. Once the door closed Natsu made a beeline for the buffet and filled two plates for himself before he sat down on a couch with a table in front of it. He looked around to make sure he was alone before tearing into the food.

' _So good'_ Natsu thought to himself as he began tearing into the chicken and fries that were laid out for him. He also had a few slices of steak, some mashed potatoes, a couple of ribs, and some mongolian beef with rice. Just as he finished and wiped his face, the door opened.

"Natsu!" Rebecca called happily as she walked toward him. She was a very attractive woman in her own right. One that would have fit right in with his guildmates Natsu was sure. She had hair the color of Virgo's, except hers went down to her butt. She had pale blue eyes and a figure that reminded him of Cana's.

"Yo Rebecca" Natsu said with a grin as he stood up. Rebecca nearly launched herself at Natsu in order to hug him, making Natsu laugh.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you again" Rebecca said with a smile.

"You know you could always come visit me at the guildhall" Natsu said with a grin. Rebecca pouted in response.

"My father won't let me. He says it's too rowdy for me and that I might get hurt" Rebecca said with an eyeroll.

"It is pretty rowdy" Natsu agreed. "But we calm down when we have important people come by."

"You think I'm important?" Rebecca replied with a slight blush.

"Of course. Your family is rich and you're my friend. Why wouldn't you be?" Natsu replied.

"Oh… Well thanks Natsu" Rebecca said with a small smile to hide her disappointment.

"So why do I need these lessons?" Natsu said with a small frown.

"You could use some work on your dancing skills" Rebecca replied with a giggle. "You nearly crushed my toes at first."

"Yeah sorry about that" Natsu said sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "But I picked it up by the end!"

"That you did. But I'd rather just enjoy dancing with you and not have to worry about my feet" Rebecca said.

"Aren't I just supposed to be guardin yah?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You danced with me last time" Rebecca whined with a pout. "We can dance at this party too!"

"Okay, okay" Natsu put his hands up in surrender. "A couple dances."

"We'll see" Rebecca said with a sly grin. "Now come on, we have to get the lessons started and over with before dinner."

Natsu let Rebecca pull him out of the waiting room and towards her family's ballroom where the lessons would be taking place.

 **(At the Party)**

Natsu was enjoying himself so far. He'd had to dance with Rebecca almost the entire time they'd been there, but someone asked to cut in and Natsu willingly allowed it after telling the guy to stay in the same area. Natsu saw Rebecca pout at him, but he'd already told her that he was just here to guard her on the off-chance something were to happen. So, he did what he wanted now that he was free of Rebecca; make himself a plate (or three) of the delicious smelling food.

Natsu made it back to a table where he could keep an eye on his charge just as the song ended. Natsu saw Rebecca talk to the man, curtsy, and then make her way towards him. Rebecca slid in the chair next to him as he finished his first plate (minding his manners of course).

"You looked like you were havin fun" Natsu teased as he put his utensils down.

Rebecca pouted in response. "I was hoping you were going to say no to him."

"Why would I do that?" Natsu asked. Rebecca sighed.

"No reason I guess" Rebecca said. The two sat in companionable silence while Natsu finished eating. "You know Natsu…"

"Yeah?" Natsu replied.

"If...if you ever need work I'm sure my father would hire you as a bodyguard for one of us" Rebecca said.

"Oh. Well thanks!" Natsu said with a toothy grin. "I'll keep that in mind next time I'm lookin for work."

"I-I meant instead of at your g-guild" Rebecca said nervously.

Natsu made a noise of surprise. "Oh?"

"Y-yeah. I know guild life is hard... or at least from what your letters say. If you ever want something more stable…." Rebecca trailed off.

"I'll keep that in mind" Natsu said with a small smile after a minute or two of silence. Rebecca gave him a brilliant smile in return.

The rest of the night was uneventful, except Rebecca made Natsu dance with her for a majority of it. The next day Natsu woke up, had breakfast with the family, promised to write or contact Rebecca through his new lacrima phone, then left to head back home to get some training in.

 **(The Next Day)**

Natsu woke up and saw that Happy wasn't around. ' _I guess he stayed with Charle and Wendy yesterday. Probably didn't know I'm back.'_

Natsu realized he forgot to check into the guild yesterday when he got back. "Oops" Natsu said as he chuckled to himself. Mira was going to give him an earful again.

"Ehh. No need to rush into a scoldin" Natsu said as he stretched. He kept reaching higher and higher until his back popped causing him to moan out at how good that felt. "Time to do some exercises before breakfast."

Natsu went outside and started jogging around his place to get his blood pumping. He then began lifting the smaller boulders around the cottage. After he did enough of that he attached the weight sets he bought and set them for the heaviest weights he could take. The weighted vest and arm/leg bands he bought had gravity spells on them that allowed them to increase their weight exponentially. This was great for Natsu since he could naturally lift more than most people so regular weight sets did nothing for him. ' _Gotta love the natural Dragon Slayer strength.'_ Natsu thought to himself as he picked up some dumbbells and began his workout.

An hour later and Natsu felt that he was being crushed as he laid on the ground trying to catch his breath. Which was a real problem because he couldn't bring his hand to his chest to lower the settings on the weights. Natsu really began trying to push his body to respond to his wishes so he could free himself. No matter how much he tried, however, his body just wouldn't respond the way he wanted it to.

"Shit, shit, shit" Natsu said breathlessly. "How am I getting out of this one?"

Just as he was about to give up and pass out, which may have been a lethal decision, Natsu smelled Happy heading towards their home.

"Happy" Natsu called weakly. He could barely muster enough breath to get the Exceed's name out.

"Happy" he tried again and luckily this one was loud enough to get Happy's attention.

"Oh my god! Natsu!" Happy cried as he flew over and turned the weights back to normal gravity.

"Thanks buddy" Natsu said weakly.

"You know you shouldn't go that heavy when you're alone!" Happy yelled, clearly shaken by what he came upon here.

"Yeah, I wasn't thinking" Natsu said as he sat up and coughed.

"Obviously" Happy said with his fur bristling.

"Hehe, this is what I was talkin 'bout Happy" Natsu joked weakly. "I need you to put me in my place sometimes."

"Now isn't the time for jokes" Happy said grumpily. "Let's go inside and have some breakfast."

"A-aye" Natsu said as he shakily stood up. The two made their way into the cottage and Natsu immediately collapsed on the couch with a groan. "I gotta get these off."

"I'm gonna see what we have in the fridge. Just relax for a bit." Happy said as he flew to the kitchen area.

"That sounds like a good idea" Natsu mumbled as he finally got his weights off. He then stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes to rest.

"We have some eggs, some veggies, and fish. I'm takin a fish so you make your food" Happy said as he grabbed two fish, flew to the table where a plate was waiting for him.

"Okay" Natsu said as he cracked his eye open to look at his 'son'. It was obvious that Happy was still upset about what happened, but Natsu was thankful that he was letting it go for now.

"Just wait until I tell Mira and Lisanna what you were doing" Happy nearly growled. Nevermind, Happy wasn't letting it go.

"Please don't Happy" Natsu begged as he bolted upright.

"Why shouldn't I?" Happy questioned grumpily before he turned to his fish and began devouring them.

"Please. Mira's already gonna yell at me for not checkin in yesterday. I don't need this on top of that. I'm beggin yah buddy." Natsu plead as he fell to his knees and clasped his hands together.

"Hmph. That isn't my problem" Happy said in between bites.

"Please Happy. What do you want for your silence?" Natsu asked.

"For starters, swear that you'll never do that without someone here. The rest I'll figure out later." Happy said as he finished his first fish.

"F-fine" Natsu caved immediately. "One other thing right?"

"We'll see." Happy said as he began eating his second fish. Natsu groaned in response, but made it seem like it was because he was getting up when Happy shot him a look.

"Let's see what we've got for me" Natsu said as he walked towards the fridge. He saw they only had a few eggs left so he grabbed them and a fish. He cleaned the fish, cracked the eggs, and threw everything together in a pan where he scrambled the eggs around the pieces of fish. ' _Payback Happy.'_ Natsu thought as he began eating Happy's favorite breakfast.

"No fair!" Happy cried out after he smelled what Natsu made for himself.

"What isn't?" Natsu asked, forcing himself not to grin.

"You know what" Happy grumbled as he went back to his fish until he finished it. Natsu finished his food at the same time so they sat there in silence for a few minutes. Both were caught up in their own thoughts.

"Look Happy, I'm sorry that you had to come home and find me like that, but I was able to do more than I did last time I lifted like that. I guess the train ride I took yesterday took more out of me than I thought." Natsu said as he looked at Happy.

"Still. You promised so no more of that without me here" Happy said back to which Natsu nodded rapidly.

"You got it partner" Natsu said with a grin.

"Good. Now shower so we can head to the guild. I want you to get punished in _some_ way today" Happy said with a grin of his own. Natsu pouted at the cat.

"That's no fun" Natsu grumbled, but got up and headed to the bathroom anyway. "We need to get eggs and some other stuff when we come back later."

"Aye!" Happy replied before the bathroom door closed.

After washing up the two made their way to the guild. Natsu was dragging his feet the whole time, not looking forward to the scolding he was sure to get. Happy flew next to him triumphantly, but also feeling a little worried since he was at the guild yesterday and Mira did _not_ look happy that Natsu wasn't there. He knew when she found out Natsu went home to train instead of checking in, he was going to get punished.

They got to the doors and Natsu decided to suck it up and take charge. He kicked the doors in again and yelled out, "we're back!"

He got the normal responses, but could feel Mira's eyes on him as well as the Master's. He shivered as he knew he was gonna get yelled at by both of them for different reasons. ' _I really need to stop kickin the doors in'_ Natsu thought to himself, failing to notice a hand flying in his direction. He only registered it when he was grabbed and pulled towards the bar.

"What do I gotta do to get it through your head to open the doors like everyone else?!" Makarov asked as he held Natsu just off the ground in front of him. He began shaking him halfway through the sentence, knowing Natsu would get dizzy. He dropped the boy with a smirk and Natsu didn't get up for a few seconds in order to stop the world from spinning.

"H-hey Gramps. Mira." Natsu said weakly as he got up and sat at a barstool.

"How'd the mission go, brat?" Makarov said with another smirk and a glint in his eye. Mira gave Natsu her undivided attention at this, hoping to hear something about a new romance blossoming.

"It was good! They served great food, but Rebecca made me dance with her" Natsu said with a grimace. "It was more tiring than I thought it would've been."

"Oh my. You must've been tired since you stayed there an extra night. Or did you two maybe get more acquainted?" Mira asked deviously.

"An extra night? No I got home yesterday" Natsu said forgetting the reason he was hesitant to go to the guild today.

"Natsu! How many times do I have to tell you to check in when you come back from a mission?" Mira asked, more upset that there was no romantic gossip for her to share.

"Uh...heheheh. Sorry Mira" Natsu said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "I forgot."

"You told me you just wanted to train when you got home so you decided to not come to the guild" Happy said from the bar top next to Makarov.

"Why Happy, why?" Natsu cried out pathetically.

"Natsu" Mira said sweetly. "You mean you didn't get in late, but just decided to ignore what you were told to do anyway?"

"I-I…I mean… I forgot?" Natsu asked sadly.

"That's it. No food for you today!" Mira declared.

"That's too cruel!" Natsu cried out.

"That's what you get Natsu" Mira said as she turned her head away from Natsu and puffed up her cheeks.

"But...I'm really sorry Mira. I was just really tired since I was up late the night before and had the long train ride to get back."

"Oh alright. I'll let you off the hook today Natsu, but you owe me one." Mira said as she smiled at him. Natsu smiled right back.

"Thanks Mira! So how was everyone else since I've been gone? Where's Lucy and Erza? They're usually here by now." Natsu said as Mira slid him some orange juice.

"Nothing really happened here. Oh, but Lucy, Erza, and Wendy left to go on a job yesterday. They might have brought Gray with them but I'm...not...sure. Natsu are you okay?" Mira asked as she noticed he looked upset at what she told him.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah I'm fine. Guess I'm more tired than I thought. I'm gonna head home and rest up" Natsu said as he grinned at Mira. MIra could see the smile was faked as it didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh...Well I hope you feel better!" Mira chirped.

"Thanks Mira. I'll see you later. Later Happy." Natsu said before he walked away and then out of the guild.

"Oh Natsu" MIra said sadly.

"I forgot the team took a job without him." Happy said.

"You don't think that's really getting to him?" Mira asked nervously.

"I don't know. I'll find out when I get home later. He did look really tired though." Happy said worriedly. "And he was having trouble with his early morning exercise today."

"Maybe he's getting sick?" Lisanna asked as she had walked over to find out why Natsu looked so down when he left.

"I hope not." Mira and Happy replied before Happy turned a devious grin towards Lisanna.

"I hear you're working with the Thunder God Tribe a lot recently." Happy said.

"Yeah, I've been tagging along with them and Elfman." Lisanna replied while still looking at the doors.

"And that you've been pairing up with Freed when you all split up." Happy said as his grin widened.

"Um-that's-I don't." Lisanna stammered while Mira giggled, knowing what was coming next.

"You llliiiikkee him." Happy chirped.

"It's not like that Happy!" Lisanna cried out, trying to catch the laughing cat before he could go fly of and spread his new found "discovery" to all that would listen. "Come back here! Listen to your mother!"

Mira laughed in response as she watched Happy and Lisanna run around together.

"You don't really think he's sick do you?" Cana asked Mira as she picked her head up from the bar.

"Oh, you're awake." Mira said. "I hope not, but he did look more tired than usual today."

"Maybe someone should go check on him?" Cana offered.

"Happy or Lisanna would have to tell you where his house is. Or maybe I could send Bisca and Asuka again…" Mira trailed off as she got lost in her thoughts.

"M-me?!" Cana exclaimed.

"Well yeah. Don't you want to be by his side and make sure he's okay? Maybe from there you two can go on a date again!" Mira said happily.

"I...I don't know. I wouldn't really know if he'd be okay with me being there." Cana said as she looked down at her glass and swirled the sip that remained.

"Then let's just leave it to Happy and we'll see if he's better when he comes by tomorrow." Mira said with a smile.

"How do you know he'll come by the guild tomorrow?" Cana asked. "He doesn't stop by every day anymore."

"True. But I have a feeling he will." Mira said before turning to take the order of another guild member that came asking for a drink. Cana looked down at her drink again.

' _I wonder if he'd be bothered by me if I showed up to help him."_ Cana thought to herself. ' _I'll just leave it to Happy like Mira said and I'm sure everything will turn out alright.'_

' _I hope Natsu's okay.'_ Happy thought worriedly as he ran from Lisanna. ' _I should probably tell someone about this morning. But if he really is just sick and I make a big deal out of it Natsu might get upset… What to do?'_

Happy wasn't paying attention and ended up slamming face-first into one of the pillars in the guild hall.

"Ow!" Happy cried out as he rubbed his face.

"Happy! Are you okay?" Lisanna asked hurriedly as she grabbed him and held him close.

"Y-yeah. Just wasn't watching where I was going." Happy said as he enjoyed being held while the pain lessened.

"Okay good. Let's get you some fish and then we can go fishing for the afternoon" Lisanna said with a bright smile.

"Yay fish!" Happy cheered. Lisanna, with Happy still in her arms, stood up and walked back towards the bar where a deep-in-thought Cana sat while Mira cleaned some glasses.

"Can we get two fish for Happy Mira? And I'll have some fries please." Lisanna said with a smile.

"Of course Lis." Mira said before going off to get everything. Lisanna and Happy talked about Lisanna's latest mission while they waited. After they finished eating they left the guild and headed towards one of the lakes that Happy liked to fish at. They stayed there until it was just about dinner time.

"Let's head back to the guild Happy. It's time for dinner." Lisanna said.

"Aye!" Happy replied and the two packed up their fishing stuff and hid it in a hollowed out tree before heading back to the guild. ' _I wonder if Natsu's at the guild.'_ Happy thought as they made their way back. Lisanna made Happy eat something other than just the raw fish he wanted for dinner before letting him go home to check on Natsu. When they got to the guild, Mira told them he didn't show up again for the rest of the day, so Happy was starting to get really worried.

"Natsu!" Happy called out when he got close to their cottage. There was no response. ' _Maybe he's working on the house?'_ Happy thought to himself as he flew that way. He found that no work had been done on the house since he last helped Natsu.

"Where are you Natsu?" Happy wondered aloud before heading to the cottage to get ready for bed. When he got there he found Natsu, passed out on the couch. Happy let out a sigh of relief and made his way over to his father-figure. What he saw, he didn't like. Natsu was sweating profusely, and the couch seemed to be covered in his sweat.

"Natsu!" Happy cried as he felt Natsu's forehead, which was even hotter than normal.

"H-Happy?" Natsu mumbled as he cracked one eye open.

"Natsu! Are you okay?" Happy asked.

"Y-yeah. Just thirsty." Natsu replied weakly as he sat up.

"I'll get some water!" Happy replied. He flew off and soaked a washcloth in cold water before filling up a glass of water. He brought his two items over and gave the cup to Natsu to drink. Natsu chugged it almost in one gulp before laying back down. Happy laid the cloth on Natsu's forehead and left to get a bowl full of cold water and another washcloth.

"I'm glad Mira thought to give me a soup to bring home for you." Happy said as he brought it out. He grabbed a spoon and put it on the coffee table. "Natsu you gotta sit up so you can eat. It'll help."

Natsu groaned in response but sat up anyway. He saw and smelled the chicken soup and immediately started drooling. "It smells so good." Natsu said before he dug in, drinking every drop of broth and eating everything in the container. "Mira's cooking is always the best."

"Are you okay Natsu?" Happy asked after letting Natsu lay back down.

"Yeah. after eating I'm feeling a lot better. Just need to rest a little more bud." Natsu said with a little grin.

"Okay, let's get into our hammocks then." Happy said with a little smile of his own. Happy then helped Natsu get into the hammock and instead of going into his own, curled up on Natsu's stomach. "Goodnight Natsu."

"Night Happy." Natsu replied before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 **Something's up with Natsu. I wonder what it is? Once again, thanks you all for reading! I know it's been awhile, but I started a class and it ate up a bunch of my time. Plus my siblings graduated so there was a lot to do to get them moved back home. Now (hopefully) I'll have more time to write since things are starting to calm down. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Review! I'd enjoy hearing anyone's opinion on this story, or on the new episodes/season of Fairy Tail!**

 **See yah next chapter!**

 **Ultimatrix bearer- I'm definitely thinking about it. Can't really think of anyone else it would be besides Pantherlily. Cobra? Nice choice. What about him grabbed your attention first? Was it the dragon fight? Also, I'd have to say (if we go by current character in their respective anime) Luffy would win 8 out of 10 times. Especially now that he can catch glimpses of the future. If Natsu was a logia type like Ace was then I'd probably say more of a tie. Or if Natsu dragonized like we got teased with at the end of Dragon Cry.**

 **Ushindeshi- Yeah. I believe that they were really close after the Edolas arc, just in private. Similar to the reasoning digemsmack gave in his Natsu Dragneel, A Fairy No More! story.**

 **Wind-style-wind-wall- Now that's some hefty praise! They are great characters and I wouldn't mind seeing more like them in other anime either. So who's your number one character in all of anime? If it's an anime I haven't watched yet I may have to just take some time and watch it.**

 **Zolf Edward Elric- I added the interrogation because I can see it happening with how over the top Fairy Tail is with everything. Especially with relationships. And because when it popped in my head I nearly laughed out loud at work. All great reasons to like those characters. I would say Natsu would be my favorite if he had any real character development besides learning to limit himself in fights so he can fight later on in the Alvarez War. My top 5 females are Mira, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, and a tie between Kagura and Cana.**

 **Phantomsoul2015- Thanks a lot! I hope to continue impressing you and all my other readers going forward!**

 **EreHisu- When I feel it's getting closer to needing a relationship, I'll put a poll up and everyone can have their say! I have ideas for almost all of my favorite female characters from the anime so whoever is chosen I can work with. Also, I don't know how old Wendy is now in the 100 Year Quest manga, so she's that age. I think that's 3-5 years younger than Natsu.**


	12. Weird Happenings

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

Natsu woke up feeling like he had been hit by a train. Everything hurt. ' _What's going on with me?!'_ Natsu thought to himself. ' _No morning exercises today then.'_

Natsu decided to lay there until Happy woke up. He had a couple of hours, so why not try to sleep? Natsu closed his eyes and let the sounds of the nearby animals lull him back to sleep.

"Natsu?"

"Natsu~!"

Natsu cracked his eyes open to see Happy floating over him looking worried.

"Happy?" Natsu asked with a yawn.

"Are you okay Natsu? You didn't go train this morning?" Happy asked worriedly.

"Nah. I still felt a little run down so I slept. I feel fine now though!" Natsu said with a grin, which Happy returned.

"I... made some rice…" Happy said nervously. Natsu smiled softly. It was Happy's first time making anything in the kitchen, especially alone.

"Thanks bud. Let's have some rice for breakfast!" Natsu cheered as he got up and went to the table where a plate of rice was waiting for him with a raw fish on top. Happy sat on the table in front of his, staring at Natsu. Natsu took a bite and could tell the rice was undercooked a little bit, but he didn't mind.

"It's great buddy! Thanks!" Natsu said and Happy's face nearly split from the smile he shot back.

"Really?" Happy asked.

"Of course Happy! Now I'll just heat up the fish a little bit for me and we can eat." Natsu said with a grin as he grabbed the fish and began roasting it with his magic. After two minutes, Natsu had the fish roasted just how he liked it so he placed it back on the rice and dug in with glee. Each time he shot Happy a glance the Exceed was beaming with happiness, which made him smile.

"What do you think about workin on The Project today?" Natsu asked as he ate the last couple of bites of his food.

"All day?" Happy asked.

"That's what I was thinkin. Are yah busy?" Natsu asked.

"No, but I think we should check in at the guild. Mira and the others were really worried about you." Happy said as he flew his plate to the sink.

"Hehehe… that's kinda why I didn't want to go to the guild today." Natsu said sheepishly. "I don't know what to tell em."

"Oh." Happy replied. He knew Natsu hated showing weakness in front of the guild. But it happened already, and they were worried about him. "But…"

Natsu sighed. "I know, Happy. But let's go there tomorrow for a little lunch. I wanna get this house done so we can move in. Aren't you as excited as I am?"

"Yeah I am!" Happy defended. "Fine, we'll go together tomorrow. But we better get a lot done today!"

"Aye sir!" Natsu replied and they set out to get to their work site.

The two got their tools out and brought all of the studs they'd need to finish off the second floor and set out to do just that. They stopped for lunch after they finished the final interior wall.

"Whew." Natsu said as he and Happy sat at the table in the cottage. "We got a lot done today."

"Aye!" Happy said cheerfully. "Does that mean we can head to the guild?"

"No, no it doesn't. It means we can work on the attic and the roof." Natsu replied. Happy pouted in response.

"But I wanna see everyone." Happy whined.

"Then go ahead Happy, I can work for a little bit on my own." Natsu said as he cleaned up their mess from lunch.

"That's not fair to you though." Happy said. "I'll stay until dinner time, okay? Maybe we both can go to the guild for dinner?"

"We'll see bud, but it may just be you tonight." Natsu replied as the two headed back to their work site. They managed to put the floor and walls of the attic up before it started getting closer to dinner time.

"Alright, you gonna head out little buddy?" Natsu asked as he wiped some sweat off his brow.

"Yeah… are you sure you don't wanna come?" Happy asked hopefully.

"Are you gonna keep asking until I say I'll go?" Natsu asked, somewhat annoyed. Happy had asked almost four times an hour if Natsu would go with him to the guild.

"Probably" Happy said with a cheeky grin.

"Ugh. Fine. Whatever. I'll go." Natsu said.

"Yay!" Happy cheered. Natsu had to smile at how happy his 'son' looked.

"That means we gotta clean up now, then clean ourselves." Natsu said as he started picking stuff up.

"Aye!" Happy replied as he helped Natsu pick stuff up. It took them about an hour to pick up their tools and clean up the wood shavings or pieces that were cut off the studs. Once the work zone was clean, the two headed to their cottage to shower. Once they were clean they headed for the guild.

Natsu kicked in the doors when they arrived. "We're here!"

"Look who decided to show up." Gray taunted from the table he was sitting at.

"What'd you say Stripper?" Natsu growled and was about to make his way over when Happy rugged on his vest.

"Natsu, food first." Happy whined which got Natsu's attention immediately.

"Good point. Can't go wastin time on an exhibitionist." Natsu said as they made their way to the bar.

"Waste time huh? Don't run away you coward!" Gray said in response before he was grabbed by Lucy.

"Gray, we need to talk to him first. Don't make him run away when he just got here!" Lucy threatened and Erza gave him a death glare, which made Gray sit down immediately.

Natsu got to the bar where Mira was watching him like a hawk.

"Hey Mira! Here for some dinner." Natsu said with a grin.

"I'm glad to see you're doing better." Mira said with a bright smile.

"Uh...yeah. Just felt a bit under the weather." Natsu said awkwardly.

"That's good! Did you like the soup?" Mira asked as she filled a glass for Cana.

"It was great as always, Mira." Natsu said with a grin.

"Are you sure you're feeling better Natsu?" Cana asked.

"Yeah! I took the morning off from trainin and I feel great now." Natsu said as he smiled at her.

"That's good news. We were worried you'd be getting sick. Though no one else would believe it since you've never been sick before." Cana said with her own smile.

"And I hope to keep it that way." Natsu said before turning to Mira. "So anything new on the menu? That beef dish maybe?"

"The one I had you try?" Mira asked. Natsu nodded enthusiastically in response. "Hahaha okay I'll make you one of those. Just sit tight and don't disappear."

"You got it Mira!" Natsu replied with a salute. Cana and Mira laughed in response before Mira left for the kitchen.

"So how've you been Cana?" Natsu asked as he turned his attention to the card mage.

"Me? I've been...good." Cana said as she tried to calm her racing thoughts.

"Been on any good missions lately?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, actually. The last one I went on I protected a distillery from some bandits. Got a nice discount if I ever buy from them now." Cana said with a grin.

"Hahaha that's great!" Natsu laughed. "I wonder if Gildarts is gonna try to make you buy him some stuff for cheap now."

"Probably, that old drunk." Cana said half-heartedly.

"Don't act like you don't like it when he's here to give you all of his attention." Natsu teased.

"Psh. As if." Cana replied. ' _Things aren't as awkward as I thought.'_

"Soooo… any idea why my old team is staring at me?" Natsu asked.

"Hm? Oh… they said they wanted to talk to you today about something or other." Cana said with a wave of her hand.

"Oh really?" Natsu asked surprised.

"I guess. Might have something to do with their last mission. Wasn't really paying attention." Cana said as she studied Natsu. She saw he frowned for a second before a small smile made its way onto his face.

"I'll see what they want after I eat then." Natsu said as Mira came out of the doors from the kitchen.

"Here you go Natsu!" Mira sang happily.

"Thanks Mira! Smells delicious!" Natsu said before he dug in. Happy, sitting next to him, dug into his fish that Mira brought with her.

Cana watched Natsu eat as she drank from her mug, and Mira glanced between the two constantly. She was curious if something was going to happen between them.

Natsu finished his food quickly. "Time to go see what the guys want. Kinda creepy that they won't stop starin at me."

"O-oh. Okay. Talk to you later Natsu." Cana said.

"Later!" Natsu said happily before making his way to the table his old team was sitting at.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Natsu asked as he sat down. Happy flying over and sitting on the table in front of him eating another fish.

"H-hey Natsu." Lucy said nervously.

"Good evening Natsu. I'm surprised you showed up so late today." Erza said.

"Oh… yeah. Wasn't feelin good this mornin so I stayed home to rest." Natsu replied.

"You're sick?" Lucy asked.

"No… I think I was more tired than sick." Natsu said with a shrug. "So why've you been staring at me?"

"O-oh. That. Well… we um… what I mean to say is-" Lucy stammered.

"We went on a mission the other day that called for the team. We want to apologize for not waiting for you, but it was urgent." Erza cut Lucy's rambling off.

"Oh. Yeah I heard about that. It's fine guys, what was the job?" Natsu asked.

"Some bandits had started raiding a town while riding wargs. They were scaring the townspeople and threatening to kill, and feed to their pets, anyone that tried to stop them. We got the request and immediately headed out." Erza replied.

"Bastards. Pickin on innocent people. shows how tough they are." Natsu grumbled.

"Yup. Plus we did it _without_ setting anything on fire." Gray said with a smug look, that immediately went away at the look the girls sent him.

"Gray. We agreed we were only going to apologize." Erza said while narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah. Was that _really_ necessary?" Lucy asked as she copied Erza's look.

"I-I... um...err...no?" Gray asked dumbly. The other two kept their glares trained on Gray until they heard Natsu chuckling.

"It's fine guys, don't worry about it. I was on a solo job anyway. No need to feel bad." Natsu said when he had their attention.

"A-are you sure Natsu?" Wendy asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I'm glad you didn't wait. More people could've gotten hurt if you did." Natsu said with a grin.

"Thanks Natsu." Lucy said with a smile.

"Thanks?" Natsu asked.

"For forgiving us." Erza clarified with a smile.

"Oh! There's nothing to forgive." Natsu said. "I wasn't here so I couldn't have gone with you! If I was home or something, then maybe I'd be upset. But if I'm not here then you can't tell me about it!"

The group smiled at that. They should have known that Natsu would care more that people were saved than the fact that they couldn't have waited for him.

"So what took you so long to get here Flame Brain?" Gray asked as he leaned back into his seat only to have Juvia wrap her arms around his neck from behind. "Ack! Juvia...need...air."

"Oh! I'm so sorry my darling!" Juvia said as she released Gray and began to fidget.

"Just come sit." Gray sighed before turning his attention back to Natsu who was laughing at his expense.

"That never gets old. Thanks Juvia!" Natsu said with a toothy grin.

"Juvia's pleasure, Natsu." Juvia replied with a smile.

"Gross." Natsu and Happy muttered to each other. Both having an idea that she was being literal.

"Well Natsu? What were you doing today?" Lucy asked as she put her chin in her hands.

"Hmm? Oh. Working on The Project! It'll be done soon!" Natsu replied energetically.

"And what is this, 'Project'?" Erza asked as she looked up from her slice of cake that magically appeared.

"You'll all see soon enough. Not tellin anyone anything until it's done!" Natsu said as he crossed his arms and raised his nose. Happy taking the same pose.

"Hoh?" Erza said threateningly, which got Natsu to sweat a bit.

"Lisanna and Mira say it isn't a prank, so everyone's really curious." Lucy said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"This is why we can't give hints! It'll get all around the guild in a day!" Happy said as he pulled a fish out of his backpack.

"Well...probably. Everyone does like their gossip." Lucy said with a guilty smile.

"Don't worry though. You'll see it soon enough!" Natsu said before turning to Happy.

"I'm still feeling a little beat. I'm gonna head home bud, you comin?" Natsu asked.

"I'm gonna stay a bit longer. Haven't really had time to talk to Charle!" Happy replied before the two Exceeds flew towards the rafters to be alone and talk.

"Alright. Well, see yah later." Natsu said as he got up.

"W-wait Natsu! You just got here! Can't you stay a little longer?" Lucy asked as she extended her hand as if she was going to grab him.

"Hm? I'd like to, but I'm still feelin tired. Must've been all that dancin I was forced to do." Natsu said with a grimace.

"Oh." Lucy said dejectedly.

"Promise you'll come by tomorrow then?" Wendy said hopefully.

"Yeah, I guess I can do that." Natsu said with a grin. "Happy said he wanted to come by for a late lunch anyway."

"Good to hear." Erza said as all of the girls smiled at the news.

"We'll catch up more tomorrow. Bye!" Natsu said as he began to leave.

"Bye Natsu!" Mira called out. He turned towards the bar and saw Mira and Cana waving at him.

"Bye!" Natsu called out as he waved back before heading home to get some more rest.

Two weeks had gone by since Natsu had felt that strange weakness in his body. He hadn't thought much of it since that day, but that was mainly because he was focused on finishing his house. They got most of the wiring done, and had put walls and doors up all throughout the first floor. They still had tiling and flooring to do, but the house was starting to come together. At least when on the first floor.

Natsu walked out of the shower and went to wake Happy up so they could get started on The Project again. The two had taken to going to the guild everyday for dinner, and staying until midnight to appease their friends that wanted to spend time with them.

"Happy." Natsu said as he shook him a little to wake him. Happy stretched and yawned before rubbing his eyes and finally looking up at Natsu.

"Mornin Natsu." Happy said before he took to the air and looked like he wanted to head to the fridge for a fish.

"Mornin Happy. You ready to finish the walls on the first floor so we can start the floors?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"Aye sir!" Happy replied cheerfully.

"Then let's get to it!" Natsu said cheerfully as he presented the fish he was holding to Happy. "For the walk to the site."

"Thanks Natsu!" Happy said as he stuffed the fish's head into his mouth and put on his backpack, which had a few more fish stuffed into it.

"Of course bud. Now let's get to work!" Natsu said as he led the charge from the cottage to the house.

The two worked until lunch when Natsu smelled Gajeel and Pantherlily heading towards their cottage.

"Happy! Gajeel's comin! We gotta get back to the cottage!" Natsu whispered urgently. Happy looked shocked but then grabbed Natsu and used " **Max Speed"** to get there quickly before the wind changed direction.

Once they got to their house, Natsu immediately started doing pushups with Happy sitting on his back eating a fish from his backpack.

"Salamander." Gajeel said as he came upon the normal scene.

"Yo." Natsu said as he raised one hand in a salute while doing pushups with the other arm. He made it to about 5 when Happy accidentally brushed his tail under Natsu's armpit causing the two to collapse to the ground.

"Natsu! My fish!" Happy cried as his half eaten fish laid on the ground.

"It's your fault for trying to tickle me!" Natsu replied.

"Oi." Gajeel said as he and Lily watched as the friends glared at each other. Gajeel's interruption reminded Natsu that they were there so he sat up and faced their guests while Happy just picked his fish up and ate the rest. This caused Lily to sweatdrop.

"What's up Metal-face?" Natsu asked and nearly smirked as Gajeel's eyebrow twitched. Lily, noticing his partner might start a fight rather than talk about what they came here for, intervened.

"We've come to tell you that you and Gajeel were requested for a job. Seems a couple of wyverns have made a home in a vineyard." Lily said matter of factly.

"Didn't know you meant so soon when you said you wanted to go on a job together. Must've really missed me" Natsu teased as he got up and headed inside. "I'll be back in a minute with my stuff."

"Hurry up runt. After, we'll head to my place so we can grab my stuff." Gajeel growled as he leaned against the wall of the cottage.

"Don't we need to go to the guild to register the job?" Happy asked as Natsu went inside.

"No. We registered it before we came here since we figured you wouldn't say no." Lily said with a shrug.

"Alright, let's go!" Natsu cheered as he appeared with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his red travel jacket on.

"Bout time." Gajeel said as he turned to walk away with a smirk.

"Shove it, Metal freak." Natsu said as he fell into step with his new partner.

"Why didn't you guys get your stuff before coming to get us?" Happy asked as the two Exceeds floated behind their partners.

"Because we have to pass our apartment to get to the train station anyway." Lily answered.

"Oh" Happy said before they continued walking in silence. The group came up to Gajeel's apartment complex and waited outside until Gajeel came back with his newer grey-green rucksack.

"Let's get this ride from hell over with." Natsu and Gajeel both muttered to themselves. Their partners just grinned at their shared discomfort.

Three hours later the two Dragon Slayers stumbled off the train, clutching their stomachs. Neither had been lucky enough to fall asleep before the train took off. Their partners took pity on them and carried their bags that they would have forgotten on the train.

"Let's get this over with." Gajeel said after his stomach finally settled down.

"Yeah." Natsu agreed. The group made their way out of the train station and once they got out the doors, they saw something awaiting them that made the two normally tough-as-nails Dragon Slayers want to break down and cry: a carriage.

"You two should have known a vineyard wouldn't be _in_ a town." Lily said, clearly amused.

"Yeah, but can't we walk?" Natsu asked as he swallowed heavily.

"Nope. It would take hours to walk there and maybe an hour by carriage." Lily answered.

"But…" Natsu started before hanging his head dejectedly and began slowly walking towards his 'demise'.

Gajeel looked at Natsu like he grew a second head. How could he just give in like that?!

"C'mon Gajeel. Faster we get there, faster we can help these people." Natsu mumbled loud enough for Gajeel to hear him.

"Fine." Gajeel grumbled before he followed in his teammate's wake. The two Exceeds grinned at each other before flying down to the carriages, much faster than their partners were walking.

The group arrived at the vineyards and see destruction. Fields were torn up and it looked like the grapes were abandoned by the workers as they fled the beasts. Both grimaced as they knew that with this much damage, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the owner to make any of her wines this year. Luckily she also had a few fields utilized solely for making sake. At least Natsu would have felt bad getting paid if he was cutting into the fieldhands' payment funds.

Even struggling because of their ride in the carriage, the two Dragon Slayers managed to grimace. It would seem a few wyverns made their nests nearby. The group approached the main house on the property and the chauffeur opened the door for them. The two humans spilled out and it took them a minute to regain their bearings. The chauffeur looked on in concern, but he had watched them during the Chariot event in the Grand Magic Games, so expected something like this.

"The Lady of the house is expecting you in her study." the man said once he saw they were able to walk.

"Thank you." Lily replied since it would be another minute or two before the Dragon Slayers could talk without dry heaving. The group were led to their meeting, and entered to find a middle-aged woman frantically working on something at her desk. She looked up and gave a relieved smile upon noticing her saviors.

"Welcome!" the woman said happily. "I'm sorry to drag the two of you so far, but this is urgent. I can't think of anyone more suited to taking care of some wyverns than Dragon Slayers!"

"You can count on us!" Natsu said as he puffed his chest out. It was always nice to be recognized for your strength.

"What do you know about the wyverns?" Lily asked since it seemed the Slayers just wanted to run out there and fight without getting any other information.

"I'm sorry to say that we don't know where they're coming from. We can hear their roars or calls or whatever all day, and they seem to always fly towards the north." The woman said apologetically.

"Guess that means they're close by." Happy said as he looked at Natsu, who nodded with a smile at Happy's added insight. Happy grinned in response.

"We'll head north first. Should be no problem if we follow our noses." Gajeel said.

"Right." Natsu agreed with a nod.

"They could be south of here though." The woman replied. "They have been taking some of my southern neighbor's livestock to feed."

"Hmm." Natsu and Gajeel hummed in thought.

"Do we split up or just go north and head em off?" Natsu thought aloud.

"We'll just head north. We don't know if all of em head down to the farm or not." Gajeel said. Natsu nodded in response and they looked at their client before telling her they'd be back soon before heading out.

The group made their way north from the main house on foot. The two Slayers were constantly sniffing the air as it changed direction hoping to get some type of indication as to where their prey was. As they reached the border of the property, the wind changed to flow from the north to the south-east. As it changed, the Dragon Slayers stiffened as they smelled exactly what they were hoping for; a fresh scent.

"Smells like three of em." Gajeel said as he turned to see Natsu staring intently towards the direction the scents were coming from.

"Yeah." Natsu responded before meeting Gajeel's eyes. The two Exceeds started sweating a little at the predatory looks the two friends adopted before stalking towards the wyverns. The group began making their way through the dense forest that surrounded the vineyard.

Another fifteen minutes of walking and they came across a clearing that could fit at least the entire Fairy Tail guild. There were two nests, one on either side of the clearing, and it seemed that only one complete pair was home for the night. The other was probably waiting for their mate to come back to feed it.

"I'm guessin the two females are getting ready to lay eggs in the near future." Natsu whispered to his team.

"I'd say yer right. The increased amount of huntin and makes more sense now." Gajeel replied as he scratched his chin in thought. They rubbed themselves in local vegetation to help erase their scents and waited for the final wyvern to make its appearance. Nearly an hour later and the final wyvern came back. It had a cow in its jaws, and a sheep in its talons.

The two looked at each other before saying, "you get one and I'll take the other." They grinned before they dropped their bags and took off in opposite directions with their respective partner following them.

It took the wyverns a few seconds longer than it should have to realize they were in danger. With hiding their scents, the Dragon Slayers were able to get a shot off each before they were identified as a threat. It also helped that the Slayers were fast enough that the wind didn't have a chance to change so their presences were covered by the scent of cow and sheep blood.

Natsu decided to start things off with a " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame"** which he threw at what he figured was the caused the beast to fall into its mate and nearly sent both tumbling to the ground. The two beasts got up and turned to see the Dragon Slayer standing there cockily smirking at them. They roared and one charged while the other took to the air.

"Bring it yah fakes!" Natsu said as he charged the grounded wyvern. The wyvern extended its neck to try and chomp Natsu to bits. Natsu saw this and dodged the jaws of the wyvern and was able to get under the chest of the monster.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron FIst"** Natsu yelled as he smashed his fist into the wyvern. It cried out in pain, but simply hopped over Natsu before turning around again. The only evidence of Natsu's attack was a scorch mark where the attack landed.

"You guys sure have tough hides-whoa!" Natsu said before ducking down to avoid the claws on the other wyvern. From his prone position, he took aim at the flying creature. " **Fire Dragon's Roar"** Natsu chanted as he unleashed fire hot enough to melt the rock under his face. It nailed the wyvern between the shoulder blades and caused the beast to cry out and land roughly on the ground.

The cry of pain caused the one on the ground to rush Natsu again. Natsu nearly rolled his eyes at the lack of ingenuity before attempting to do the same thing as before. However, when he neared the distance where the wyvern tried to bite him, it quickly turned around, slamming Natsu with its tail and sending him sailing. Natsu nearly cleared the clearing, but luckily was able to flip himself to land on his feet.

Natsu immediately fell onto one knee and clutched his chest with one hand.' _That shouldn't have hurt this much.'_ Natsu thought to himself. He spared a glance at Gajeel and saw he was handling his two wyverns with what looked like ease...until the same thing happened to him. The two locked eyes from across the clearing and silently agreed to switch opponents.

At this point, Lily decided he wanted in on the action. With a smirk and laugh reminiscent of his partner, Lily went after the wyvern with the burnt back. Natsu turned his attention to his new opponents and saw they were standing next to each other staring at Gajeel. It was almost as if they forgot about him, and that slight couldn't go unpunished.

Natsu decided to go ¾ power and really let these monsters have it. " **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame"** Natsu cried as he unleashed his spell at his enemies. The two wyverns had no idea what was in store for them as they were engulfed in fire that immediately began burning their hides painfully. As the flames died down, Natsu charged and jumped up on one of the wyverns.

" **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"**

" **Fire Dragon's Claw"**

" **Fire Dragon's-** whoa!" Natsu said as the wyvern he was currently beating on drop on its side before he had a chance to react. Natsu hit the ground hard and skid a ways away. Happy grabbed Natsu as the second one landed roughly where Natsu was laying.

"Thanks Happy." Natsu panted. ' _Why am I so winded?"_

"Maybe we should just end this." Happy suggested. "You don't look so good."

Natsu nodded grimly. He _really_ needed to go visit that scary old lady sometime to figure out what was wrong with him. The two wyverns, however, didn't like being ignored either and began to give chase.

"I've got an idea. Drop my on the ground Happy. Don't stop, just drop me and keep going." Natsu ordered as he prepared himself. Happy nodded, knowing how strategic Natsu's mind was. Happy approached the ground quickly. He leveled off and dropped Natsu.

" **Fire Dragon King Mode"** Natsu said lowly as he turned and faced his enemies. " **Fire Dragon King's Roar"** Natsu called out as they got close. The wyverns didn't stand a chance against this powerful new form. They dropped to the ground on either side of Natsu and kept going, their momentum forcing them to skid past Natsu. Natsu, panting, walked up to the two monsters and finished them each off with a " **Fire Dragon's Grip Strike".**

Gajeel saw Lily grab the attention of one of his new prey and couldn't help the smirk that crawled on his face. His damn partner was just as antsy for a fight as anyone in the guild even with his goody-two-shoes attitude.

Gajeel exploded towards his new opponent while donning his scales to give him an added bit of strength and density as he shouldered the wyvern. The wyvern seemed to be dazed as he got it clean in the neck.

" **Iron Dragon's Club"** Gajeel said as the blunt object rocked the wyvern in the head, causing it to fall on its back from the force. Gajeel gave it no time to rest.

" **Iron Dragon's Lance"** Gajeel called out as he jumped before changed both of his arms into iron poles and pounded on the wyvern's exposed underbelly.

And his right arm into a sword. He and the wyvern stared each other down, but the wyvern blinked first. As it turned its head to take a deep breath, Gajeel rushed it. Once it realized its mistake, it tried to jump skyward, but to no avail.

" **Iron Dragon's Sword"** Gajeel called as his blade pierced the hide of the wyvern and left a nice gash that bled heavily. As the two landed, they both began to sweat. Gajeel looked past his opponent and his eyes widened as he noticed Natsu's roar heading right for them. He hastily leaped out of the way and watched at the Roar engulfed his opponent. Gajeel shot an annoyed look at Natsu, but noticed how tired he looked as he approached his two enemies.

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Gajeel decided to focus on finishing his own opponent before lending Lily a hand if he needed it. He approached his downed wyvern and turned his arm into a sword before plunging it where the beast's heart should be. He looked up in time to see Lily standing on the wyvern's back as he plunged his sword downward, severing the spine of the beast before it pierced the heart.

The group made their way back to the main house and within an hour they were knocking on the front door. At this point it was around 9 p.m. and the group was really looking forward to eating and showering before going to bed.

"Hello!" The owner said as they re-entered her office. "It seems you were successful"

"Yep. Problem's taken care of." Natsu said with a grin. He had managed to catch his breath on the walk back.

"Excellent!" The woman said happily as she clapped. "I hope you don't mind, but I hired some chefs to make you all something special."

"That sounds great, but if we're gonna get back to Magnolia tonight we might have to catch the train soon." Natsu said, Gajeel grunted in agreement.

"Oh, please, spend the night recovering here." The woman said. "You can head out in the morning after a nice breakfast."

"Sounds good." Gajeel said and the rest nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! Whatever you prefer first you may do. James will show you to your rooms, which have their own bathrooms, or he can show you to the dining room instead." The woman said, nodding towards her attendant that just entered the room.

"Food first." Natsu said as Happy's stomach cried out in agreement. The group laughed at the sheepish Exceed.

"That sounds like a good idea." The woman said good-naturedly. "Tomorrow I will give you your payment and you may leave after. I do ask you stay for breakfast. The cooks in this area are among the best I've ever met!"

"We will. Lead the way James." Natsu said with a smile. The group then made their way to eat their fill and get some needed rest.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! I must apologize for the late update, but I have a good excuse! I recently adopted a kitten and he gets very jealous when I don't pay all of my attention to him, as my keyboard found out the hard way. But a new keyboard later and here we are. I was also debating on cutting this chapter a bit, but decided because I've been gone so long y'all deserved the longer chapter! As always, let me know your thoughts on the story! Reviews make the world go round for us writers.**

 **See yah next chapter!**

 **Ultimatrix bearer- you nailed it! Your getting me thinking about One Piece at this point made me think "why not?", so I did. I can see what yah mean by anime vs manga, but we'll see! And recently, my personal favorite has to be Natsu and Mira. At least for fanfiction. The idea of those two bonding over the death of Lisanna makes the most sense to me, and sometimes tragedy can lead to stronger bonds, so yeah that's the start. But Mira is also one of the few people that hasn't seemed to look down on Natsu since her transformation. Granted that's been the minority of his experiences with her, but I think for Natsu it would make a huge difference in his perception of her.**

 **And I hope I answered the team thing!**

 **xShadowAurorax- Thanks for the review! Yeah that's how I view a lot of anime protagonists taking something like that and the small details like that make a story for me, personally.**

 **BB-Salamander- Thanks! I try to keep it consistent and make Natsu out to where I feel he should be in Fairy Tail. It bothers me that some anime have a moron for a main character and he doesn't ever evolve from that.**

 **Dragonfire987-Thanks! And yeah it seems no one can wait for the poll!**

 **Escandor23- the poll I have up is for my other story. I really should close it… eh I'll get to it. But no worries, I will be adding both Wendy and Mira to the poll for this story.**

 **Zolf Edward Elric- I have a general outline for the story, but chapters are free writes. Sometimes it causes me to get stuck though so yeah. But thanks for the compliment and the continued support!**

 **Guest- I originally had Hisui there, but decided against it for two reasons. 1) I feel like she would have asked for at least Lucy too since they seemed to hit it off after the Dragon Invasion. 2) I'm adding the royal family in later.**

 **And thanks! I'm trying to get them to develop naturally and find a nice balance between rushing it and dragging it out.**

 **Lightpunch- Everything's good thanks! And I'm gonna go with she's 14.5 with the time that's passed in the story and this fanfiction. But thanks for doing that math and research for me!**


	13. A New Age

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

The group trudged to breakfast the next morning. Natsu and Happy were nearly drooling in anticipation of the meal they were promised while Gajeel and Pantherlily were just shaking their heads at the display. They'd never understand how Natsu could be such a fool then switch right to one of the sharpest men they'd ever met.

Gajeel was also keeping a sharp eye on his guildmate. He had begun to notice little things about him that were causing him some alarm. Yesterday's exhaustion during the fight was the last straw for the Iron Dragon Slayer. Natsu shouldn't have been winded after that fight-or at least not to the extent he was. And he used his King Mode or whatever he called it, which was overkill given the level of their enemies. Thus, last night before falling asleep Gajeel had decided to keep a closer eye on Natsu to see if anything funny was going on.

"Maybe they'll have fried fish with egg, or fish over rice, or fish and eggs, or fish and potatoes, or fish and-" Happy was ranting as his eyes began to swirl at the possibilities.

"Enough, cat!" Gajeel barked. "You like fish. We get it. Gets old y'know."

Happy barely heard Gajeel. He was so excited for breakfast he wasn't even intimidated (that much) by the hulking man behind him. Natsu, however, just watched Happy rant with a fond look and a bright smile on his face. He always enjoyed when his friends were happy, and seeing how happy his 'son' made him feel just as elated as he did when fighting a tough opponent.

"Here we are." James said as he held the door to the dining room open. The team made their way into the large room before seeing the spread laid out before them. Eggs of all kinds, sausages, steak, every and any type of breakfast styled potato, different types of fish (since the cooks and maids had overheard the duo talk about how much they enjoy fish), rice, ham, porridge, oatmeal, anything they could ever want at breakfast.

Natsu and Happy's eyes sparkled with glee at the scene as they dashed towards their seats to start dishing out their food. Gajeel and Pantherlily were right on their heels, although they had just a tad bit more class about it. They were in a wealthy person's home after all.

Neither Gajeel nor Pantherlily missed the amused way the chefs watched their teammates inhale the food made for them. Which was a much better reaction than they could have hoped for. Most people were disgusted.

"This stuff is great!" Natsu cried happily as he swallowed another mouthful of just about everything. His three partners nodded in agreement. It wasn't long after that the group finished their breakfast and thanked the staff for the meal. They retreated to their rooms to gather their things before getting their payment and heading home.

After they left the woman's office, Gajeel, who was still keeping a close eye on Natsu, noticed his friend had a slight limp in his step. If he wasn't watching him, he would have easily missed it. This was very concerning to Gajeel. It was something he wanted to ask about, but knew better than to call the pyro out in front of others.

"We need to hit the bars soon, Salamander." Gajeel whispered so that only Natsu could hear. He saw Natsu's ear twitch in response, and he cracked a bit of a grin before all of the color drained from his face. He forgot about the carriage to the train station.

Natsu and Gajeel stumbled off of the train hours later as their partners grabbed their bags grinning like devils. Their grins got just a bit wider when the two Slayers face planted just outside of the train station.

"Aw man! You guys almost made it without falling!" Happy teased before he started cackling madly. Pantherlily let out a small "gi hi" at Happy's taunt.

"You better be gone by the time I get up, cat." Gajeel said as threateningly as he could given the situation.

"Don't be mean." Happy teased back as he floated above the two. "It's not _my_ fault you two keep getting beaten by your stomachs!"

The two on the ground growled in response before attempting to get up again, which caused Happy to flee for the safety of home. He knew Natsu wouldn't really let Gajeel hurt him, but he didn't want to risk it.

"His big mouth is gonna get him in trouble one day." Pantherlily said as he shook his head at the other Exceed's antics.

"I'll say." Gajeel growled out as he finally managed to get to his feet. "Let's go tell Master that we completed the mission."

"Yeah." Natsu grunted out. He was starting to ache all over his body, but he didn't want to risk Mira's wrath by not checking in. He could leave that for Happy.

The trio made their way to the guild. They got to the doors when they could sense an uncommon atmosphere. It was calm, subdued. It only ever felt like this in the guild if someone was hurt or bad news just dropped. They looked around and saw no tears, so they guessed there was some news that they missed while on their job.

"Yo, Mira." Natsu called as they got to the bar. They were extremely surprised that no one noticed their presence when they entered. The barmaid looked up from her conversation with Kinana and both smiled brightly at them.

"Welcome back Natsu." Mira chirped. "Successful mission?"

"Yep." Natsu said as he noticed Mira looking around him, probably for Happy. "Happy decided to poke fun at our motion sickness so he ran away when we started gettin up."

"Oh that makes sense." Mira said as she and Kinana shared a giggle. "Hungry?"

"Always for the food here." Natsu said with a toothy grin. Both girls smiled fondly at that since they did most of the cooking.

"I'll get you some buffalo wings and a burger." Kinana said with a smile as she turned to the other two. "Want anything you two?"

"Some kiwi juice please." Pantherlily said.

"Nah I'm good. What's up with this place?" Gajeel asked, deciding he wanted to dive right in.

"Master said he had a serious announcement that he'd give when everyone got back from their jobs. You guys are the last ones missing so I'm sure the announcement will be made soon." Mira said as Kinana went to get Natsu's food. Mira slipped Lily his juice as she continued, "it's made everyone a little nervous. Master had a similar look to when he disbanded the guild."

That statement made their stomachs drop. There was no way Makarov was going to disband the guild again! Was there?

"Gramps wouldn't do that." Natsu claimed heatedly. "He has no reason to. We haven't been wrecking that much stuff lately."

"That might have to do with you not taking jobs as often, Natsu." Mira teased, and Natsu pinked in embarrassment before grumbling denials.

"Here;s your food, Natsu!" Kinana said happily as she placed his food on the counter for him.

"Thanks!" Natsu cheered before looking around. He noticed that his old team wasn't sitting together today and he sighed. Looks like he was gonna eat at the bar today.

"You alright Natsu?" Mira asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Natsu said as he plastered a grin on his face and sat down to eat. Understanding dawned on Mira's face as she glanced around the guild but she had enough tact to not breach that topic. Not that she had much chance, because at that moment Happy entered the guild at the same time Makarov wheeled himself out of his office (which was moved to the first floor because of his wheelchair). The tiny master made his way to the foot of the stage with Laxus pushing him along. All eyes were on their small, serious-looking Matser.

"Good afternoon, brats." Makarov boomed so they could all hear him. "I thank you for gathering here for me. I have quite an announcement to make. Throughout our years together here at Fairy Tail, we have overcome many difficulties. War and the growth of the guild for those older members. The fighting with Phantom Lord, the Lullaby incident, the fighting during the Harvest Festival, the war with the Balam alliance, our disappearance on Tenrou, the dragon invasion after the Grand Magic games, the war with Tartaros, and the disbandment and subsequent war with Alvarez. All of you here have had to undergo hardships that I wish, as a parent, that I could have shielded you from. Unfortunately, most of it was beyond my power and foresight to do so." He held up a hand as members began to protest.

"As I have watched, you all have grown into men and women this old man feels proud to know. Your hearts beat for each other, and you have become the family we all desperately needed and still need. It was that bond that allowed us to face each of our hardships and defeat them. I have always been here to offer advice and help you take care of your problems. Now it is time I take care of a problem of my own. I am old, and I am tired. There is always a chance that I do not have long left on this world. Thus, I have decided it is time for me to step down as Master of Fairy Tail. I have long considered it since the war ended, and while I will not leave the guild, I can't successfully lead it." Members began to protest again, but Makarov just ignored them.

"So! I have decided to name my successor tonight. He will not just take over right now. I will show him the ropes for the next couple of weeks before fully retiring. My successor will be my grandson, Laxus!"

Everyone began to applaud Laxus' new appointment. Over the last few months he had made a noticeable effort to get on friendlier terms with the members of the guild (at his grandfather's request) and now everyone more or less understood the moody lightning mage. It had also made him less moody. Being accepted by the rest of the guild had seemed to lift a weight off of Laxus' shoulders and he was visibly happier recently.

At least to those in the guild. He still held his scowl and unapproachable demeanor when out on jobs. It might be a good thing he didn't have to go on those anymore.

Laxus, for his part, was speechless. He never imagined his grandfather passing the torch to him. He knew it was one of Makarov's greatest desires to entrust his grandson with the future of the guild, but Laxus had thought he threw any chance away when he attempted that coup. He was happy beyond words to be given the opportunity to fulfill his grandfather's greatest wish, and he refused to let the old man down.

"I accept and hope I can be half the Guild Master you are." Laxus choked out. Everyone smiled at the family members that were looking at each other with misty eyes. Once again everyone began clapping once Freed started it. This snapped the two men out of their stupor. Makarov cleared his throat when the clapping died down.

"Now don't think this means you're getting rid of this old man! I'll be hanging around bothering all of you to try and make up for all of the headaches you have given me over the years!" Makarov boomed. The entire guild laughed at that.

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" Natsu cheered from the bar and most of the guild laughed harder at that. It seemed Natsu was oblivious as to who was tied for first in giving Makarov the most headaches in his tenure.

"Now, let's welcome our new Guild Master the right way! Mira, Kinana, open those taps and keep em flowin! Let's party!" Makarov yelled as he pulled a tankard from out of nowhere and began guzzling the 'sweet nectar' that he preferred. The guild roared its approval with Mira and Kinana sharing a smile as they began filling glasses for their guildmates to come and grab. The guild partied well into the morning, but only one noticed a pink haired Dragon Slayer slip away around midnight.

One week. That's how long it has been since Gajeel has seen any sign of Natsu. He hasn't even picked up his scent in the town, which means Natsu hasn't been in Magnolia's borders since the party for Laxus' promotion. He had tried to send Wendy to go check on Natsu, but the cat had intercepted her and explained that Natsu was just busy with something and that he'd come by when he was done.

Wendy figured it was their 'project' that they had been working on, but the fact that Happy didn't confirm that had made both Slayers suspicious. Not extremely suspicious in Wendy's case, but in Gajeel's… this was just another thing that was causing him to worry about his adopted brother. So, blessing of a blue cat or not, Gajeel was going to see the pink haired pyro. More so because he was a man on a mission, but also to check up on him.

Gajeel walked up the dirt path leading towards Natsu and Happy's house. He could smell his friend was inside, and alone. This was exactly what he wanted and why he was somewhat stalking the blue cat recently; to figure out his schedule. What he was about to do he wanted no one to know, but he needed Natsu's help. So, he got up to the door and banged on it loudly.

"You don't hafta knock you know!" Came the aggravated voice of Natsu through the door. Which then swung open to reveal a less than amused Dragon Slayer. "I smelled you comin. I was gonna answer the door anyway."

Gajeel studied the man before him and before he could stop himself, blurted out, "you look like shit."

Natsu frowned, but Gajeel could see the amusement in his eyes. "Thanks for the compliment, asshole." Natsu said as he turned his back on Gajeel and went to plop down on his couch. Gajeel smirked and followed him in.

"I just call it as I see it." Gajeel said with his smirk still in place.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Natsu waved him off. "Now why're you out here and so far from your 'Sweetheart'?" Natsu asked as he clasped his hands together and batted his eyelashes dramatically. Gajeel scowled.

"We do things separately y'know." Gajeel huffed, and it was Natsu's turn to smirk.

"Sure, sure." Natsu said. "But seriously, not that I'm complainin, but not many people come out this way. And even less have recently."

"Well I'm here because you told me you have some gems I could use when I was ready to make Levy's ring." Gajeel said as calmly as he could. Natsu gave a predatory grin, but decided to be nice to his brother.

"I believe I told you to make your own ring for her because she'd like it more than a bought one. And that I have jewels I'd be willin to give yah ... if you're willin to pay." Natsu smirked.

"You said I could have them!" Gajeel said incredulously.

"I'm just messin with yah. Let's find where I put them… you stay put." Natsu growled as he saw Gajeel get up. He might be willing to part with some jewels, but he had no intention of letting Gajeel see just what he had. Natsu had a feeling that had to do with his Dragon magic. "What were you thinking? Something classic like diamonds? Sapphires to somewhat match her hair?"

"Any orange stones?" Gajeel asked since he really didn't do any research on types of gems.

Natsu sighed heavily. "Yeah. I have an orange diamond here. But it is super rare and for a full rock like I have the price would be in the six digits at least!... How about you take what you need off of it and sell the rest? That way you can start saving for a house."

"I...I couldn't take somethin _that_ valuable from you!" Gajeel proclaimed. "Just give me the regular diamond."

Natsu ignored him. He had quite a few rare gems that would net him a nice profit if he ever got bored of staring at the sun through them from time to time. "Listen Metal-Face, this would make Levy happiest. It shows that you went through extra trouble to get something like this for her. It also lets her know you care about the things she likes. You're taking this and I'm not taking no for an answer. I may not be that close to Levy, but I'd say we're close so I have no problem giving this to you."

Gajeel was gobsmacked. He had no idea how he could repay Natsu for just giving him this jewel and everything else he's done for him over the years. "I...thanks Salamander."

Natsu gave him a toothy grin as he handed the jewel over and sat back down. "No problem Metal-Face."

"Be the best man." Gajeel found himself saying without thinking.

"What?" Natsu said as a look of pure shock took over.

"I want you to be my best man." Gajeel reaffirmed.

"But what about Lily?" Natsu asked. He didn't want to step on any toes.

"He told me to ask you first. Plus with all you've done to help me get welcomed into the guild… this is the least I could do for you. Levy wants to name you our kid's godparent too." Gajeel said as he looked away from the gemstone and at Natsu. He saw that Natsu seemed frozen in place, and he didn't blame him. He _did_ just drop two massive bombshells on him in ten seconds.

"I...I uh...yes?" Natsu said as he tried to collect his thoughts. Gajeel grinned at that.

"Great." Gajeel breathed, noticing for the first time he was nervous about Natsu accepting. Which, in hindsight, was kind of ridiculous.

"Good. I'll be back tomorrow. You're helpin me plan the proposal." Gajeel said as he got up and opened the door.

"Wait, what? No way! That's all you!" Natsu said, but Gajeel ignored him as he closed the door behind him as he hurried away. He had a lot of work to do to get the band finished.

Natsu stared at the door incredulously. How could Gajeel just drop all of that on him and leave?! "That ass!" Natsu howled, and he could have sworn he heard Gajeel laughing in response.

"How can he just decide that?" Natsu growled before he clutched at his chest as pain wracked through his body. "Ah!" He cried out as he laid on the couch and curled into himself.

This was the reason eh hadn't been to the guild in days. The first three days after the party, Natsu was passed out. When he finally woke up, Happy was beside himself with worry. He was about to go get Wendy or Porlyusica to heal him, when Natsu begged him not to. Happy didn't care and was about to leave when Natsu did something Happy never thought he would do: he groveled. To him! His best friend and pseudo-son! Happy had to back down after he saw just how badly his friend wanted to keep this pain a secret.

Happy decided he was going to stay with Natsu and help nurse him back to health, which Natsu adamantly refused. He knew that if neither one was seen at the guild for an extended period of time, someone would come looking for them. He didn't know who, and he didn't care. So, Natsu told Happy to act like he normally did and tell anyone who asked about him, that he was doing something.

Natsu found out that the first two to ask about where Natsu was were the Strauss sisters. They said Elfman had seen Natsu slip away mid-party, and that was unheard of. But add that to not seeing him for three days and they were worried, if a little suspicious. Lisanna was more worried for the Dragon Slayer, while Mira was suspicious that there was a girl he was off meeting. After that both Lisanna and Cana, who had been eavesdropping, demanded answers from Happy, who had more than a little difficulty coming up with a good enough lie.

Eventually he told them that he was just busy adding a weight room to their house so he can train even when it's raining out. The girls calmed down at this, and Mira was a little crestfallen that there was no new romance blooming in Fairy Tail, but also happy that Natsu wasn't seeing someone secretly. Happy looked at all three women closely and found that all three seemed interested in his best friend.

He donned an evil smile that none of the girls liked immediately and began teasing them about liking Natsu. He almost immediately had to fly for cover as none of them enjoyed the teasing. That didn't stop him from teasing them constantly over the next few days. He _did_ try to do it when there weren't many people listening in, though. The girls didn't get as violent when he did it that way. He tried teasing Kinana too after she demanded he bring Natsu some food so she could make sure he was eating enough, but she just blushed and finally told people that she and Erik had recently started dating.

This resulted in another party of celebration. One that allowed Happy to easily slip away and avoid the questions some of the members were starting to ask about Natsu.

Natsu was ripped from his thoughts as a new wave of pain ripped through him. He knew he should be getting this checked out by Porlyusica, but he _hated_ showing any weakness to anyone. Call it his Dragon pride, or maybe it was that he was afraid Erza and Mira would start bullying him again, but he couldn't stand being weak around others. However, this pain and exhaustion felt much worse than any he'd experienced so far.

As the pain left his body, he almost immediately was hit by a wave of exhaustion that gave him barely enough time to make it to his hammock before he passed out again into a deep slumber.

Happy was in a good mood. Natsu was feeling less and less pain as they days went on, he and Charle were going on dates almost every other day (if neither were on a mission), and she let him cuddle with her in the guild now! He was excited and happy about that. He was wondering if maybe Charle would be willing to move in with him into the cottage after Natsu moved out. He knows that wasn't really the intention, and Natsu was expecting him to move in to the new house, but Happy knew that sooner or later he and Charle would be taking the next steps in their relationship.

It also didn't hurt that the cottage was just a little bit bigger than the houses the other Exceeds had built for themselves, so he knew they'd fit with their future family. He knew of one couple that had themselves and three kittens in a house almost half the size! Happy knew he was thinking far ahead into the future, but he couldn't help it. He loved the white cat so much and he wanted to be with her forever.

Happy entered the cottage and saw that Natsu was asleep again. Unfortunately, a side effect of the pain Natsu was going through was that he would sleep for most of the day. He was also barely eating. This worried Happy a great deal, because Natsu needed to eat to sustain his magic. His inner fire _needed_ a constant fuel source. It was the true reason Natsu ate so much all of the time.

It was also why Natsu drank very little. At least one of the reasons. The alcohol was almost like a stimulant to his fire and would cause it to burn through its fuel much faster. This would force Natsu to drink to the point of passing out, or raiding the Fairy Tail kitchen until the effects died down. Only to then go home and raid their own kitchen to have enough fuel for his morning training sessions.

Thus, the fact that Natsu was eating very little but drinking his own body weight in water worried the Exceed. He knew that Natsu was drinking so much water because he was sweating it all out when he was hit by a wave of pain. If only the stubborn Dragon Slayer would let someone look at him, they may be able to do something to stop it sooner than waiting it out did. But, he knew better than most just how stubborn his adoptive father could be, so he decided to drop it this once. If it happened again he didn't care what Natsu did or said; he would go straight to Porlyusica.

As it was, Happy could see the residual sweat on Natsu's face. He put the food he brought home in the fridge, picked up a rag, ran it under cold water for a few minutes, and placed it on Natsu's forehead to help cool him down. He smiled as Natsu sighed in content and decided he'd sleep in his own hammock tonight so Natsu could stay somewhat cool. He just hoped Natsu would be all better tomorrow.

* * *

 **Yo! Back with another chapter and I've found some time to work on the story and hammer out what I want the next couple of chapters to look like. Hopefully they work out the way I want them to, but we'll see. We got to see a little bit more of the relationships involved, and I made Laxus the new Guild Master. My personal opinion is that this is what Makarov has always hoped for, and wanted to pass the torch to someone in his family. Obviously his son is out, but he always believed Laxus would come around and be the man he knew he could be. Gave you guys another little taste of what's happening to Natsu, so I hope you enjoy the ride!**

 **P.S. -do we** _ **really**_ **have to keep writing the disclaimer?**

 **See yah next chapter!**

 **Zolf Edward Elric- thanks! And I forgot to add last time, after finishing the original Fairy Tail manga, i felt a lot was left out. It almost seemed to me that Mashima just wanted to be done with Fairy Tail. that or he's no good at writing about relationships and personal things of that nature. So I added what I thought was missing. And thanks! I hope to keep you and everyone else satisfied with the way I think Fairy Tail should have gone.**

 **Ushindeshi- Thanks! We'll find out. It's building up to that point now.**

 **Ultimatrix bearer- I think he is. Now when I try to write he sits in front of the screen and stares at me. Almost like he's daring me to try to keep writing. And we'll find out sooner or later about that!**

 **Hiccup-ALG- Thanks a lot! Hope you keep reading!**


	14. Renewed Desire

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

It took 3 more days for Natsu to recover to full strength. During those three days he'd have enough energy to go and help Happy with a little bit of work on their house, but for the most part he was just telling Happy what to do. This final day, however, Natsu couldn't find the energy to get up when he woke up. He rolled over and went back to sleep, not noticing that Happy was staring at him in worry.

When Natsu woke up around noon, he noticed immediately that he felt much better. There was no pain coursing through his body, and he felt his energy level higher than it had been in days. Natsu shot up and stretched, feeling his shoulders and back pop in a _very_ satisfying way. He looked around and noticed Happy wasn't around. He sniffed the air and was able to faintly pick up the Exceed's scent coming from the direction of the new house.

"Let's go get some real work done so we can finally move in!" Natsu cheered as he shot out of bed, got dressed and ready to leave, grabbed some food from the fridge, and headed out.

' _I guess Happy brought some food home from the guild. This tastes like Mira's cooking.'_ Natsu thought to himself happily as he ate the chicken legs that he heated with his magic as he walked. All too soon he came up on the house and once again was pleased with how it looked. While he was down for the count he had shown Happy how to finish the exterior of the house. Natsu had decided to go with a tudor look, and he was told the wood was made from the trees in the area surrounding Magnolia.

Natsu stared at their hard work with pride until he heard the nearly silent flaps of Happy's wings from inside. It was all the warning he had before Happy rushed him.

"NATSU! You're up!" Happy cried as he barreled Natsu over and held him tightly. "Are you all better now?"

"Yeah Happy. I am." Natsu said soothingly as he pet Happy's head. Happy began to tear up and cried into Natsu's vest.

"Next time you're going to get help!" Happy cried out. Natsu saw how badly Happy had been worried about him and hugged him close.

"You got it, bud." Natsu said. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Happy calmed down and they separated. "You ready to start finishin' the second floor so we can start paintin' and go buy the furniture?"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered as he floated up and in through a window. Natsu chuckled at his friend and decided to walk up their new front steps. He admired the large front porch they had built already with enough room for a small table and four chairs on either side.

Natsu grinned as he walked in through the front door. He walked into a small area to remove his shoes or sandals which was the start of a long hallway. The first room on the left was meant to be a large living room. Natsu was insistent on the fact that there _had_ to be a large fireplace. A large doorway that looked as though five people could fit shoulder to shoulder separated it from the dining room. The dining room was nothing special, but it was large enough to fit a table long enough to fit ten people. Now that he had the space, Natsu wanted to be able to have his friends over.

Attached to the dining room, was an extremely large kitchen. It took up a majority of the back of the house. Natsu hadn't decided on what kind of cabinets he wanted yet, but he knew he wanted a stone countertop. He had heard that quartz was durable, so he might get that. He just had to go over it with Happy. If there was a definite must though, it was that the countertops had to be dark colored. The kitchen also had a large glass sliding door that will lead out to their large back deck...whenever they get around to building that.

Back into the hallway and next to the kitchen was a full bathroom. Happy called Natsu lazy for it, but Natsu thought it made sense. He didn't want to have to walk up the stairs after he trained to shower. Especially if he was just going to leave the house again afterwards.

Natsu's favorite room in the house, however, was the final room on the first floor: his new memory room. It was larger than the living room, and was going to have some seating in it so Natsu could admire his souvenirs and show them off. There was more than enough room for his current "hoard" and for when he added to it. It also was going to be the last room he showed when his friends come to tour it.

Up the stairs, which were located between the living room and dining room doors in the hallway, there were four bedrooms. Even though Natsu and Happy didn't have much in the way of clothing, each room had a large walk-in closet. Natsu's room, being the master bedroom, was going to have a large master bathroom with a shower and a soaking tub. There was going to be a bathroom on this floor with the same layout for the other rooms to share. Happy had originally wanted his own bathroom too, but when he realized that he didn't need one because he usually bathed with Natsu, he relented.

All of the bedrooms themselves were about the same size. Natsu didn't see a point in having his bedroom bigger than the others just because it was the "master". He also did want kids, and overheard those in the guild that had kids talking about how when they got older their kids wanted more space. Natsu wasn't sure how many kids he wanted, but he knew that they'd have more than enough room as they grew.

"Ready?" Happy asked, snapping Natsu out of his own head.

"Yeah, let's start rockin' some walls!" Natsu cheered.

"I'll go get the tools!" Happy said as he flew down to the basement. That was going to be the last room they finished so they could store everything down there. At least until Natsu got around to building a shed.

"Alright! I'll get the sheetrock prepped!" Natsu said as he made his way up the stairs. He got upstairs and saw the pile of sheetrock in the hallway and grimaced slightly. He really just wanted to be done, but they still had a good amount of work to do.

' _Maybe I should've asked someone to help.'_ Natsu thought to himself before he shook the thought off. He wanted everyone to be surprised by his and Happy's hard work.

Natsu grabbed a sheet and made his way into the master bedroom. He just propped it up when Happy came flying in with the screw gun, screws, and sheetrock knife.

"Ready?!" Happy asked excitedly.

"Aye sir!" Natsu replied and he held the sheet up as Happy screwed it to the studs. Natsu went to get another board after Happy had a few screws in. They got the first wall done in no time. The boards they were using were 8'x4' (2.4m x 1.2m), so they had to use a few full sheets before they had to cut another one up to get that extra foot. For the first time Natsu wondered why he decided on 9 foot ceilings.

They finished the entire room in a two hours. After they finished the walls, Natsu had to go get a ladder so he could hold the pieces for the ceiling up, but after that they finished in no time.

"Awesome pace, bud!" Natsu praised. Happy blushed slightly in happiness.

"Let's do my room next!" Happy exclaimed.

"You got it, Happy!" Natsu said enthusiastically. Happy flew ahead as Natsu grabbed a board of sheetrock and followed him. Neither realized they worked straight through lunch.

"Alright, if we can finish the bedrooms today I think we'll be done by the weekend with paintin' and tapin'! Maybe even with tilin'!" Natsu said as he left to get another piece of sheetrock.

"Then we can start moving in!" Happy cheered as Natsu came back into the room.

"Aye sir!" Natsu said, and the two got down to work. Another two hours and they were done with Happy's room. "Alright, let's do the bathroom now. I'll go get the cement board so we can do the shower area first!"

"You got it, Natsu!" Happy said as he headed to the bathroom.

Natsu went down to the basement and hoisted a cement board up as carefully as he could. They only bought a few so he didn't want to break any if he could help it. He made his way up to the second floor slowly, taking extra care around the stairs. He made it up to the bathroom without problems, and pushed it up to the wall.

"Here we go!" Happy said as he began screwing the board in place. Natsu held it the entire time Happy was pinning it, as he didn't know how many screws would be able to hold it.

"Alright, I'll go get another. Hang tight." Natsu said as he went downstairs as fast as he could, while being careful not to destroy anything in the new house. This pattern continued until they had the cement sheets up in both bathrooms on the second floor.

"Whew." Natsu said as they pinned the final board to the studs. "That cement stuff is heavy."

"Not to mention we only had exactly enough." Happy said as he sat down on the floor. He looked outside and saw that the sun had already begun its descent. "Natsu! We missed dinner!"

"What?!" Natsu cried. "How could we?!"

"I don't know! What's happening to us?!" Happy cried out as tears gathered in his eyes.

"To the guild!" Natsu yelled and they both popped up and made to run out of the house.

"Wait!" Happy said and Natsu froze midstep.

"What's up?" Natsu said as he turned his head. Happy didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed Natsu's vest and flew them out of the bedroom window. "Great idea! Max Speed!"

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled as the two became a blur and made it to the guild in two minutes.

The two went crashing through the doors and rolled up to the bar. The rest of the guild jumped to their feet as they thought they were under attack before they saw who it was and relaxed again. Makarov, who was sitting on the bar, glared down at the two while the rest began to laugh at their entrance.

"I told you to slow down!" Natsu said as he picked his head up.

"But Natsu we _need_ to eat! We missed lunch too!" Happy argued.

"Yeah but I didn't wanna fly into the doors! They're heavy!" Natsu argued back.

"Nice of you to drop in, Natsu." Mira said from behind the bar to stop their bickering.

"Oh, hey Mira!" Natsu said happily as he stood up and took a seat at the bar.

"Did you finish the addition?" Mira asked as she put down the cup she was cleaning.

"Huh?" Nasu asked. He was losing focus on the conversation as he could smell the heavenly scents of food being prepared in the kitchen.

"The addition? Happy said you were expanding the house to add a weight room." Mira said as she glanced at Happy, who was focused on the kitchen doors just like Natsu.

"Oh, oh! Yeah! Just about done. Gotta clean up my weights from outside and bring them in." Natsu said as he snapped his gaze away from the kitchen.

"Heeheehee. Hungry are we?" Mira asked as she giggled.

"Yeah! We were so focused we skipped lunch ...and dinner!" Natsu whined as his stomach roared in response.

"Yeah! It's not right to skip a meal!" Happy added. "It's like we're sick or something."

"No, Happy. You're just busy. It happens." Mira said with a shrug. "I'll get you boys something good."

"You're a goddess, Mira!" Natsu and Happy sang in unison.

"Natsu!" Wendy called as she walked up to him.

"Yo, Wendy! What's up?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at her.

"Can we do a training session soon? I haven't seen you in days!" Wendy said as she stared at her feet.

"Heck yeah! We can do one as soon as we're both free." Natsu said with a grin.

"Tomorrow?" Wendy asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not!" Natsu said as he ruffled her hair.

"Natsu!" The trio heard and Natsu looked up in time to see a black blob launch itself at him.

"Asuka!" Natsu cheered as he stood up to swing her around when he caught her.

"Where have you been? No one else wants to play with me!" Asuka whined as Natsu put her on his shoulders.

"Sorry, Asuka. I was busy at the house." Natsu said.

"With your training?" Asuka asked as she played with his hair.

"Nah. Buildin' somethin'." Natsu said.

"Hi Natsu." Bisca said as she walked up to the group.

"Hey Bisca! What's up?" Natsu asked.

"I was wondering if you could watch Asuka tomorrow. We need to go on a few higher paying jobs so we can get some bills paid." Bisca said as she watched her daughter play with Natsu's hair. It looked like she was trying to braid it.

"Oh, uh…" Natsu trailed off as he looked at Wendy. She smiled and nodded at him. "Yeah! Sounds like fun!"

"Oh thank you, Natsu. She has been saying all week that she won't play with anyone but you for that long." Bisca said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"That so?" Natsu said as he grinned and began tickling Asuka under her knees. She immediately started laughing and nearly fell off of Natsu, but he swung her around and began tickling her in earnest.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Asuka cried out, and Natsu stopped tickling her. "So mean!"

"Who's mean?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"You are!" Asuka said before pulling her pop guns out. "Take this!"

Natsu fell back into the bar as her gun fired off the corks inside of it. He pretended to be knocked out, and slumped backwards on the bar.

"Yeah! How's that?" Asuka asked giddily. After a few seconds she noticed that Natsu wasn't moving. "Natsu? Natsu, are you awake?"

Asuka went over and began tapping his stomach to see if he'd move. When he didn't she looked over to her mom and started tearing up.

"Mom! Something's wrong with Natsu!" Auka cried.

"Oh no! Maybe you hit him too hard!" Bisca said as she internally smirked.

"He's never been like this before when we played!" Asuka said as she started shaking natsu by his pants. "Wake up! Wake up!"

Natsu decided to make a big show of waking up. "Ugh...what happened?" Natsu groaned.

"Natsu!" Asuka cried happily as she grabbed him and started hugging him.

"Oh, my head!" Natsu groaned as he put one arm around Asuka to hold her up, and placed his other hand on his forehead.

"I'm sorry Natsu!" Asuka cried. "I didn't think it would hurt that bad!"

"I-it's okay, Asuka." Natsu said as he grinned at her. "But maybe only shoot people when you're playin games, okay? Someone could get hurt if you just shoot."

"Y-yeah" Asuka said as she sniffled. Bisca smiled at how Natsu was trying to help Asuka learn about the dangers of her magic before she really began using it.

"Order up~!" Mira sang as she came out with multiple plates of food. "Oh? I feel like I missed something here."

"Oh good, I'm starving!" Natsu said before he looked down at Asuka.

"Asuka, sweety, I think we should let Natsu eat for a little, okay?" Bisca said as she nodded at Natsu, who was looking at her gratefully.

"But…" Asuka said, looking between her mom and Natsu.

"I'm sure daddy would love to show you a trick you can use in your training later." Bisca said, and Asuka hopped off Natsu.

"Really?! Bye Natsu!" Asuka said as she ran off to find her dad. Bisca shook her head at her daughter's antics.

"Thanks again for tomorrow, Natsu. We really needed some time off to get some good jobs done." Bisca said with a smile before she began walking away.

"No problem! Always willin' to help!" Natsu said before he dug into his meal.

"Can't you use your manners?" Charle scolded as she came over.

"Charle!" Happy said excitedly. "Where were you?"

"I was talking to Erza." Charle explained.

"Oh." Happy said as he curled himself around her, much to her embarrassment. She didn't make any move to stop him, though.

"So what's going on over here?" Charle asked as she looked at everyone but Happy.

"Just talking." Wendy replied. "Natsu said we can train together soon."

"Oh. Well that should be good. Erza said she found a mission for us, though. We leave in two days to look into some ruins that have been found." Charle said.

"Oh. Then when we get back from that!" Wendy said as she looked at Natsu hopefully.

"Sounds good to me!" Natsu said with a grin. "You can show me just how much you've improved since you started workin' with Erza. Maybe you're even better than me now."

"What? No no no no. I'm nowhere near your level, Natsu." Wendy said as she shook her hands in front of her.

"I don't know, Wendy. You're much stronger than we were at your age." Lisanna said as she came to sit with the group. "Mira can I have an orange smoothie?"

"You got it Lisanna." Mira said before turning to Wendy. "You've been able to keep up with your team and you're years younger. You're stronger than you think, Wendy."

"I-I-I. Um… Thanks." Wendy said in a small voice as her face erupted in red. But the Strauss women smiled at that. Wendy still had a ways to go until she became a confident woman of Fairy Tail.

"No problem!" Natsu answered for all of them.

After that the group fell into a lighthearted conversation about what they'd been up to recently. Natsu was happy because it was the first time he could talk about his construction project without worry, except he could only talk about part of it.

' _Soon I can show them the new house!'_ Natsu thought to himself happily, with a big goofy grin on his face. The others smiled at that and believed it was just because he was back at the guild hanging out that he was so happy. While that did make him happy, he was getting more and more excited to show the fruits of his and Happy's labor to them.

A few hours went by, and Natsu was getting antsy. Talking about The Project was _not_ a good idea. Now he just wanted to work on it and finish.

"Come on, Happy! We have to get ready to watch Asuka tomorrow!" Nats said as he stood up once there was a lull in the conversation.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered, knowing he was probably going to ditch Natsu and hang out with Charle after a few hours.

The two approached their house with Happy riding on Natsu's head.

"Uh, Natsu? Aren'tour beds over there?" Happy asked after noticing Natsu turn away from the cottage.

"Yep!" Natsu replied cheerfully.

"Shouldn't we be going to bed?" Happy asked.

"You can if you want to, but I wanna get some work done on the house!" Natsu said as he stopped. "Just a couple of hours or so."

"Oh, alright. Then let's go!" Happy cheered before he remembered something important. "But Natsu, we don't have lights yet."

"I have a few lacrima I filled with Sting's magic last time we saw him and he got plastered." Natsu said with a grin. "I was gonna light them up in someone's room one night and make em fly around on a string or something, but this is better.

Happy laughed hard imagining their friends freaking out because of the "ghosts" flying around their rooms.

"That would've been great!" Happy nearly yelled as he tried to control his laughter.

"Right?!" Natsu replied enthusiastically. "Just imagine Lucy or the Ice Princess screaming in fear."

As they got to the basement, the two had to stop because they were laughing so hard. They kept saying how they imagined their friends reacting, which caused the other to begin laughing all over again. It took nearly twenty minutes for them to calm down.

"Ahh.. we really should get to work." Natsu said after he told Happy about how Cana would just think she drank enough to see spots again and would probably pass out.

"Yeah, if we get a lot done maybe we can be done before the Blossom-Viewing Festival!" Happy said enthusiastically. "With the furniture and everything!"

"Crap I forgot that was next weekend!" Natsu said in a panic. That was the original date they wanted to be done, but with Natsu's recent...setbacks, it hasn't seemed possible. "We're gonna have to book it to get it done so we can have everyone over the day after!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered and the two made their way back to the second floor to begin putting the walls up again.

The duo only managed to make it through half of one room before they passed out. Two boards up and on his way to get a third, Natsu passed out, almost in the doorway. Turns out one needs more than just a day to get back into the swing of things after being basically bedridden for almost a week. Happy knew he should have flown Natsu back to their cottage, but he was tired too. So he decided to curl up on Natsu's back and fall asleep.

* * *

 **Yo! Hope everyone's well. Life is still hectic unfortunately, but we shall prevail!... Or this story will. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what's happening to Natsu! Do you think Happy is making a mistake in letting Natsu "take care of himself"? As always, any constructive criticism is welcome! Plus any reviews in general always make a writer happy, so drop em if you have something to say. I think we're close to a point where I'm gonna put the poll up, but we'll see how the story develops. I've already added and changed how I originally saw the story going a bit, so it might be a longer story than anticipated!**

 **See yah next chapter!**

 **Ushindeshi- It's how I feel Fairy Tail will go. Had Makarov actually died in the war, I think Laxus would've closed himself off to everyone like Gray tried to do in the beginning of the show. But with him surviving, I think Laxus would open up to the guildies, or at least be kinder.**

 **Ultimatrix bearer- Couldn't have given a better summary myself! Glad you're enjoying and sticking with me through this.**

 **AllFiredUp511- Have no fear! I may not be the best at pushing chapters out, but I plan on seeing this to the end. Lucy will be on the list. In fact, almost every light guild girl that has a positive interaction with Natsu will be just to be fair to everyone. Haven't decided on Flare or not though… Anyway, thanks for the review!**

 **Zolf Edward Elric- I believe he is. Especially since he grew up in the guild and was looked down upon by a few of the members. His desire to be one of Fairy Tail's strongest is to be able to protect his friends, yes, but also so those that mocked him won't be able to anymore. Or at least that's what I think. That's a great guess, but I give no spoilers :P. It is difficult to find time to write, so I'm glad people are so understanding. Thanks again for the review, and thanks for stickin around!**

 **Deboome- It's true they weren't mentioned in the writing specifically, but they did ask about him. Just the first to do so where those that may be interested in him romantically. But, yeah, I have been writing this story to show how Natsu kinda takes a backseat in his friends' lives because they have other things to focus on. I draw on how my friends have acted when they first got into relationships and their "honeymoon periods" so that's kinda what's going on.**


	15. A Confession

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

"Speech"

' _Thoughts'_

" **Spells"**

 **Announcements/Large Beings Talking**

* * *

The next day saw the two waking up to the birds singing outside. Natsu's eyebrows twitched before he slowly opened his eyes. ' _Man am I glad we decided to put my room on the opposite side of the sunrise.'_ Natsu thought to himself as he stretched. He was a little sore, but besides that he felt great!

Natsu felt a weight on his back after stretching and saw Happy curled up there. From the smile on his face, Natsu could tell Happy was having a great dream. It almost made him feel guilty for having to wake him. Almost. However, nature abruptly began calling and Natsu knew he had to get outside to a tree or, preferably, the bathroom in the cottage before he pissed his pants.

"Sorry Happy!" Natsu yelled as he stood up, causing Happy to go tumbling off of him.

"Wah!" Happy yelped as he hit the floor. He looked up to see a pink and black blur before realizing he was alone. "Wait for me!"

Natsu ran as fast as he could towards the cottage. He heard Happy call for him to wait, but he didn't have the time. He barreled through the door of the cottage and into the bathroom, slamming the door closed before getting to his business.

Happy got to the cottage a minute later, and saw that Natsu wasn't there. "Where'd he go?" Happy asked as he looked around. Then he shrugged and went to go get his morning fish.

"Ahh." Natsu breathed as he walked out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth. "That was close."

"Oh, that's where you went." Happy said as he removed his half eaten fish from his mouth.

"Yeah, sorry buddy. That doesn't happen too often." Natsu said as he scratched the back of his head.

"It's okay. Why do you think you had to go so bad? You didn't go drinking with Gajeel last night." Happy said.

"Good question." Natsu replied as he put his hand under his chin and began to think. As he was thinking he looked outside and saw a lot of sunlight. "Oh it's cause I slept in today!"

"Ohhh." Happy said as he looked outside too. "Yeah it's much later than usual for us."

"Yeah." Natsu agreed as he walked to the window to look at the position of the sun. "It must be around 10 al...rea...dy… Asuka! Crap! Happy we gotta get to the guild! We gotta meet Bisca and Alzack!"

"Oh no!" Happy said as he picked up his fish and began flying around gathering Jewels and other things he thought he'd need in his bag.

Natsu quickly changed into a new set of clothes, before sprinting for the door. He saw Happy grab a bunch of their Jewels already so he didn't have to worry about that. The two made their way to the guild as fast as they could. As they neared they saw the small family waiting for them outside.

"Bisca! Alzack! Sorry I'm late!" Natsu called out as soon as he was within range.

"Natsu!" Bisca and Alzack both said happily. They were worried he had forgotten about his promise.

"Sorry." Natsu panted. "Overslept... and got here… as fast as I could."

"It's fine, Natsu. Thank you for watching Asuka for us." Alzack said.

"Not a problem. I like playin with her. Unless she shoots before we start again." Natsu said as he winked at the couple. Who laughed in response.

Asuka, not one to be ignored, pounced on Natsu, who only caught her in time because of his years of fighting and training.

"Natsu! I wanna play!" Asuka said as she climbed up the man and sat on his shoulders.

"HAHAHA you got it Asuka!" Natsu laughed. Asuka then began to play with his hair.

"Such a pretty color." Asuka said subconsciously. Natsu grinned in response as he looked up towards her.

While these two were interacting, the little girl's parents were watching with matching smiles on their faces. It always warmed their hearts to see just how well these two got along.

"Alright. We'll be back by dinner time, hopefully." Alzack said.

"We're heading out." Bisca said as the two turned and began walking toward the train station.

"Have a good trip!" Asuka called as she waved back with both arms. Natsu had grabbed her ankles to keep her from falling off.

"We'll see you when you get back!" Natsu called out as he watched the two happy parents leave. He had a flashback to when Lisanna and the Strausses left him in a similar way once, but he forced that memory down. Natsu shook off the memory before giving the little girl his attention again.

"So Asuka, what do you wanna-" Natsu started before his stomach cried out in protest. This caused Happy and Asuka to laugh at him, and Natsu joined them. "Guess we should get some breakfast in me before we start playing, huh?"

"Aye sir!" Happy replied.

"Aye sir!" Asuka mimicked, causing the other two to chuckle.

"Let's go! Happy could you get the door?" Natsu asked. He didn't want to jostle Asuka around too much.

"You got it." Happy replied. Natsu winced when he felt Asuka begin tugging on his hair.

"Onward horsey!" Asuka said as she hit Natsu in the chest with the heels or her boots.

"HAHAHA. NEIGH!" Natsu laughed before charging into the now open doors.

The guild was mostly empty since it was too early to start drinking, and those that get there in the morning mostly come to take on jobs. Those that were there, however, turned to see what the ruckus was and smiled when they saw Natsu "galloping" around with Asuka laughing brightly.

Natsu took the long route to the bar. By the long route, Natsu ran all around the guild, jumping over tables and chairs, and doing whatever he could to keep the little girl laughing. Even as more guild members showed up the two kept going. Everyone enjoyed just how happy little Asuka was whenever the Dragon Slayer played with her.

Eventually, his empty stomach made it known again just why they had come inside the guild in the first place. A few of the other members laughed at just how loud Natsu's stomach could roar when he was hungry.

"To the food!" Asuka said as she pointed at the bar.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered as he made his way back toward the bar.

"Horsey's can't talk!" Asuka said with a pout, even if Natsu couldn't see it.

"Oh! Um... Neigh!" Natsu said sheepishly. He didn't mind acting for Asuka, but he knew some of his guildmates would tease him about this later. Though this seemed to appease the small girl, as she just giggled some more as they approached the bar.

"Good morning, Natsu and Asuka." Mira said as she placed a hot plate of steak eggs and hot sauce in front of Natsu. Natsu set Asuka down in the seat next to his before turning to greet the barmaid.

"Mornin, Mira!" Natsu said.

"Good morning again, Mira." Asuka said. "Can I have a juice?"

"What kind of juice?" Mira asked. Natsu, now that the attention wasn't on him dug right into his food with a gusto that had been missed until dinner time of late.

"Apple juice!" Asuka cried happily.

"Manners young lady." Mira said.

"Can I have an apple juice, please?" Asuka asked again, which caused Mira to give her a huge smile.

"Of course you can, sweetie!" Mira gushed and she turned to get it. Since Asuka asked for a non-alcoholic beverage Mira had to go to the kitchen to get it.

"Natsu let's have another contest!" Asuka cries out happily.

"Oh? And what do you wanna do this time?" Natsu asked after he slurped up some eggs.

"We'll figure that out when you finish eating!" Asuka said happily.

"Sounds good to me Asuka." Natsu said before turning back to his food.

Just after Asuka finished talking, Mira slid Asuka her juice from down the counter a ways. The little girl really enjoyed that Mira could get it to stop right in front of her.

"So what are your plans today?" Mira asked as she looked between the two.

"Dunno. Asuka wants another contest, but doesn't know what she wants to do." Natsu said after he finished his food.

"Yeah!" Asuka cheered, before thinking hard about what kind of contest she wanted to do.

"Maybe you can have Happy drop some things from up above and you have to shoot them before they hit the ground." Mira suggested.

"Great idea!" Asuka said before she turned to look at the duo expectantly.

"Alright, alright. What do yah say buddy?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at Happy.

"Sounds like fun!" Happy chirped in response with a grin.

After sitting for a little bit longer and joking around, the trio made their way to the lake outside of the guild. There they set up some wooden "targets" that were no longer needed. The targets they were given were barrel covers from the empty barrels of alcohol in the guild.

"So how many do we each get?" Natsu asked as he stretched.

"Ten!" Asuka said as she practiced bolstering and drawing her gun.

"All at the same time?" Happy asked.

"Count to two before you drop the next ones, alright?" Natsu replied.

"Okay!" Happy said as he flew up twenty feet in the air.

"You wanna go first?" Natsu asked as he turned to Asuka.

"Yeah!" Asuka said as she took a step forward. "Be ready to lose!"

Natsu laughed at her confidence in her abilities. ' _She really is a little woman of Fairy Tail.'_ Natsu thought as he watched her get in a ready stance.

"Okay…. go!" Natsu called out. Happy began dropping the targets right on cue.

Asuka drew her pistol and quickly took aim at the targets as they fell. She fired off 10 shots of concussive magic, and managed to hit 6 of 10 targets dead center. She hit another 2 just off the mark, and completely missed 2.

"Whew~" Natsu whistled as he watched the last shot slam a target dead center. "I'd hate to be fighting against you, Asuka."

"Gaaah. I thought I'd hit all of them!" Asuka whined as she looked her gun over to see if she needed to clean it. After making sure it was clean, she looked back at Natsu. "Your turn!"

"Right on!" Natsu yelled as he punched his fists together.

"Ready?" Asuka asked as she raised her hand in the air.

"Aye sir!" Natsu cheered as he focused.

Asuka dropped her hand and Happy took off. Instead of dropping the plates like he did for Asuka, Happy threw them around to give Natsu an extra challenge.

Natsu took in the plates, their trajectories, and their speeds before coming up with a game plan. To be fair, he decided to try spitting little fire balls out of his mouth. He fired the first one, dead center hit. The second was the same, while the third was just a bit off. By the fourth he barely hit the plate, sending it careening off to one side. The fifth he barely nicked, same with the sixth. All the others he missed by very close margins.

Asuka immediately began to cheer when she saw Natsu was going to lose. For added effect, Natsu stood there with his mouth hanging open, as if he couldn't believe he missed some. In reality, Natsu never intended to win, but he knew he had to make it close or the young girl would catch on. He turned and saw Asuka was doing a little dance to celebrate her victory.

"I win! That means you gotta do what I say!" Asuka said as she puffed her chest out and pointed at Natsu.

"Whaa? When did we decide on that?" Natsu asked.

"Now." Asuka replied simply

"Ah...uh...Okay I guess?" Natsu replied as he saw Asuka adopt a thinking pose.

"You've gotta~..." Asuka started as she looked around. Eventually her eyes landed on what looked like a couple strolling along the lake. "You gotta answer my questions!"

"Alright, but let's say you only get….five? Sound fair?" Natsu asked.

"Mmm...I guess so." Asuka answered with a pout.

"Okay. let's clean up and then you can ask your questions!" Natsu said before turning to see Happy already started cleaning up a little. The three spend the next few minutes cleaning up their "range", which mainly consisted of the younger two piling the wood up and Natsu burning it to ashes.

They then went over to the edge of the lake and sat on a couple of logs that Natsu brought over so they could dip their feet in the water.

"Alright Asuka, ask away." Natsu said with a grin. Asuka had been thinking about what questions to ask the entire time she had been cleaning. She knew what she wanted to ask, but didn't know how the Dragon Slayer would take it. After a minute of internal debate, Asuka decided to just blurt it out.

"How come you aren't dating Lucy? Don't you love her?" Asuka asked before closing her eyes tightly. She didn't want the Dragon Slayer to be mad at her.

Happy looked at Natsu worriedly. He knew just how his best friend felt about their blonde partner (ex-partner?).

Natsu froze when Asuka asked her questions. He hadn't thought anyone would ask him so directly. At least, not while it was still so new to him to not have the opportunity to confess his feelings to Lucy. Slowly, a small, sad smile crept on his face.

"She's dating someone else. Someone that had the courage to do something I couldn't. I still do love her. These feelings won't just fade away in a day. But I don't want to get in the way since she seems so happy with this guy. So I'm gonna be there for her and be happy for her and one day...well, we'll see." Natsu answered as he stared out over the lake.

Asuka had cracked her eyes open to look at Natsu and saw that he looked sad. Feeling bad that it was her question that did this to him, Asuka did the only thing she could; gave him a big hug. Natsu chuckled and hugged her back and opened his other arm for Happy to join. The three hugged for a few minutes before separating. They sat in a comfortable silence as they looked over the lake.

"I'm only gonna ask one more question now." Asuka said after a few minutes. "I wanna save the rest for later."

"Go ahead." Natsu said as he turned to look at the girl.

"Will you try dating Mira or someone else from the guild?" Asuka asked.

"Hmm? Why Mira?" Natsu asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"She was the first one that I thought of." Asuka answered simply.

"Well… I don't know. I think all of the girls in the guild are really pretty, but I can't say I won't date someone not in the guild one day." Natsu answered honestly. Asuka hummed at this, then decided to lay down and put her head on Natsu's lap. They sat there like that for a few more minutes before Natsu snapped himself out of it.

"What'd yah say we go play something else?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah!" Asuka exclaimed. She scrambled up Natsu's back and sat on his shoulders before pointing back toward the guild. "Onward to our next adventure!"

"Aye sir!" the two boys yelled before the three took off.

Unbeknownst to them, they had had an eavesdropper. Wendy came out from behind a tree with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Natsu." Wendy whispered into her hand as it covered her mouth. She had no idea he was suffering by himself like this. ' _I guess he wasn't alone. He has Happy.'_

Wendy had been outside training to use her magic to allow her to move faster. She came to the forest around the lake as a way of testing her own maneuverability while using her new spell.

 **(With Wendy)**

Wendy woke up and decided that she wanted to get in a little training before hanging out with Erza and everyone else. She was also looking forward to showing Natsu just how far she had come since they stopped doing missions with the entire team.

She knew that with time and practice her spells would get more powerful, but she also wanted to be able to get away from danger. Being a healer meant sometimes she had to prioritize her own safety over beating whoever she was facing. As Wendy had begun thinking about this, she had heard the story of Erigor, the dark mage that her team had taken down in one of their first missions together.

The thought of using wind magic to fly or move faster intrigued her. She had been trying to master both in secret ever since. Because of their being teammates, Erza knew that Wendy could fly somewhat with her Sky Slayer magic, but she had yet to find out about the increased speed. The only flight Erza had seen was when Wendy flew herself straight up and descended to a different spot to avoid a sneak attack.

Wendy had gotten better at both new magics, but she had trouble maneuvering around objects in succession. Thus, she decided to start training in the forest around the lake behind the guild. Not many people used it for their training, so she had it to herself for the most part. She did have to watch out for couples or other people taking walks around the lake.

She had just finished her morning training when she saw Asuka firing her concussion bullets at the targets. Wendy decided to hang around to see how far the little girl had come in her training, and was surprised at just how many the young girl was able to hit.

Then it was Natsu's turn. She watched how his eyes took on a predator-like gleam as he took in all of the plates, and how he then purposefully missed a few to give the small girl a win. Wendy heard when Asuka said what would be her reward for winning, and wondered what kind of questions Natsu would get asked.

She realized she shouldn't have eavesdropped, but she was just so curious. It was then that Wendy heard something she was curious about. Then she saw Natsu's face. Wendy could tell just from looking at him that it was a painful topic. She heard his heartfelt answer, and while she might have thought it was a bit much to give to a child, _she_ understood exactly what Natsu meant.

It was then Wendy made a promise to herself. She would help Natsu in any way she could, and the first way she could think of was to go on a mission with him. One that would take them away for a couple of days if she could find one. As she began heading back to the guild, she decided she'd talk to Erza about it now so when they returned, she and Natsu could go on a mission together again.

* * *

 **It's back everyone that's been waiting! I do apologize for not being able to find much time to devote to this story recently. The winter was surprisingly really busy, and the emergency stuff for this virus has kept me running around. Plus I had a hard time getting what I wanted to say down the right way. Anyway, to those that have been reviewing I thank you! It's because of you all that I have started writing again in my spare time.**

 **Zolf Edward Elric- I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope it keeps getting better! I just hope the surprise is liked by others.**

 **Ushindeshi- Yeah, he seems to be struggling through something now.**

 **Guest 1- Too bad I don't have a name to thank, but Thanks for reading! I'm glad you like it and hope you stick around for the rest of the story.**

 **Silverna- I believe Makarov would if he wasn't busy training Laxus to take over his job. It's also the reason I have Natsu staying away from the guild for the most part.**

 **Guest 2- We'll find out sooner or later!**

 **Robthekiwi121- Yeah, he didn't have enough character development for all that he had gone through IMO so I'm writing how I think he'd be.**

 **KanaxCobra- Thanks a bunch! Happy (belated) New Year!**

 **Fateful-06- You will. I don't plan on giving up on the story. Times just get busy, ya know? Unfortunately I haven't been able to keep to the schedule I wanted to when I first published this.**

 **Nalu1iscanon- I'm fine, thanks for asking! My aunt did pass away from this though :(. I have some answers for you! Natsu is one of my favorite characters. However, I feel he was stunted in order to be some comic relief throughout the series. The only real growth we see in him is in the war. In that respect, Gajeel is my no. 2 for the amount of growth he did and showed as a person. I think my story has taken a bit of a turn from what I originally envisioned, but not too much. Just some characters playing a bigger role than I had originally thought. I'm not going to publish anything new until this story gets finished, or I get ahead in this one enough to divert my attention. I do wanna finish my other story before posting anything new though. As of right now, I'm thinking He probably will. Mainly because I don't really want him to die, but once again my story is evolving as I write it so we'll see. It's been a bit of a debate between me and my girlfriend/proofreader.**


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